A Long Time Waiting
by Yuushi-chan
Summary: When Kakashi loses the only woman he's ever had feelings for, he can't help but feel there was a conspiracy behind her death. As Kakashi tries to learn more about her death, he finds that she was caught in the middle of a web of lies. Kakashi x OC
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**Hey, I'm Yuushi-chan! This is my first fanfiction, if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.**

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_A Long Time Waiting_

Chapter 1: Introduction

A 24 year old Kakashi stood in front of the memorial like he did every morning. He had left his apartment at 4am to stare quietly at Obito's name engraved in the stone. By now, it was 10am and the sun was shining bright. He had already pondered all of his regrets, the mistakes he made in the past, especially the one that made him the way he was today. He had always felt that he learned too late the bond he shared with Obito.

"Ah, Obito... I wish I realized sooner." Kakashi sighed, closing his eye and paying his last respects for the morning. He turned to walk away from the memorial and saw Kotetsu walking toward him.

"Kakashi!" Kotetsu yelled as he moved closer.

"Kotestu?"

"The hokage requests your presence. I'm not sure what it's about…"

"I can guess. See you later." And with that, Kakashi left the memorial site and walked at his own pace toward Hokage Tower.

He knocked on the door before entering; making sure the hokage wasn't busy.

"You may enter." He heard the hokage's gruff voice. Stepping over the threshold the hokage uttered, "Ah, Kakashi. I've been expecting you."

"Yes, sir. May I inquire as to why you request my presence?" Kakashi asked.

"You may. I received your request yesterday afternoon, and I must say I'm a bit confused. Why is it that you wish to leave ANBU? I though you were teaching a couple of new recruits."

"Well, Sir, I have nothing left to teach them. They were both jounin when they entered the ranks. Tenzou and Yugao are both excellent shinobi. If I may, there's something I've been noticing lately…" Kakashi trailed off.

"And what is that?" The hokage inquired.

"It seems to me that over the past year, the children who have graduated from the Academy are not suited for the field. Even if their teachers deem them qualified, more and more of them have either come back dead or have botched their mission." Kakashi explained.

"Hmm… I see what you're saying Kakashi, but what do you plan to do about this?"

"The real reason I have requested to leave ANBU is to teach the graduating shinobi. Let me be the judge of their skills." Kakashi stood taller as he said this knowing that there was a good chance the hokage would deny his request to become an elite jounin sensei.

With a warm smile the hokage said, "I believe teaching suits you, Kakashi. Very well, you shall finish your duty in ANBU for the next three months. When the next class graduates, you will be assigned a three man team to teach."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"You may leave."

Kakashi did not leave. He watched to hokage. His body was hunched and his eyes were distant.

"Was there something else, Kakashi?" He asked staring at him.

"Are you all right, Sir? You seem troubled." Kakashi stated.

"Yes, well, I received a bit of bad news this morning, and lately I've been thinking of my family."

"I see. Is Yuushi coming back anytime soon?"

"No, my daughter will not be returning. The news I received this morning, notified me that she was killed on her mission in Iwagakure." As he said this, his frown became deeper and his eyes welled up with tears. "I haven't informed Asuma yet. I hate being the bearer of bad news. If you see him, Kakashi, please send him to me."

"I will do so if I run into him, Hokage-sama." Kakashi's voice trailed off at the end and he turned to leave the office.

Kakashi pondered this news as he walked toward his apartment to get ready for his next ANBU mission. His head was down, watching his feet, when he heard a voice.

"Kakashi, what's up? You seem more detached than usual." Asuma said, patting him on the back.

"Asuma. I was just with the hokage. He wants to see you." Kakashi said, trying not to look and sound so foreboding.

"All right…I'll head there now. Hey, look after yourself on your mission today!" Asuma said as he walked toward to hokage tower.

_Yeah. I'll keep my head in the game. Man, this is looking to be an interesting day. _Kakashi thought as he reached for the door to his apartment.

Meeting his team at the front gate, Kakashi explained, in detail, their mission to his subordinates. When Tenzou and Yugao were caught up they set out to the border of Fire Country and Grass Country.

"Kakashi-senpai." Tenzou addressed him.

"What is it, Tenzou?" Kakashi knew he was asking permission to inquire about the mission.

"In our orders, are we allowed to pursue the missing nin into Grass Country, or are we to stay within Fire Country's border?" Tenzou asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." Yugao stated.

"According to our orders, we are to pursue the enemy and bring him back by any means necessary. Does that answer your question?"

"Hai, senpai." Yugao and Tenzou answered.

They moved quickly through the forest. It took at least a day and a half to reach the border. As they ran Kakashi analyzed the area carefully, looking for any signs of the missing nin. He only hoped they wouldn't have to move into Grass territory.

_I hoped I wouldn't have to visit your grave again, Obito. There's nothing I want more than to never feel that pain again._

Kakashi's eye closed and he gave an audible sigh. He tried to keep the images from resurfacing. The pain he felt in his heart from losing his closest friend. He could still remember the night in great detail. It plagued his dreams nearly every night.

"Is everything all right, senpai?" Tenzou asked, concerned for his squad leader.

"Yes, everything is fine. There are still no signs of the missing nin in these parts. Keep your eyes open. I don't want any mishaps on this mission." Kakashi had put up a wall again, regretting that he had let his emotions through. He was being careless again.

"That's not what I was asking about. I know you would not willingly go back to Grass Country, senpai." Tenzou explained.

"And why is that?" Kakashi asked, anger beginning to creep into his voice.

"Obito." Yugao stated simply. "You were in Grass Country when he was killed. We know this is hard for you, senpai. We're only trying to help."

"Ah. I understand your concern, but I'll be fine." Kakashi answered dryly.

The closer they came to the half way point, the faster night fell. The birds started to settle in for the night and the bats began to show themselves. The sky had turned a deep purple and pink color as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

"We'll set up camp here for tonight. We've travelled pretty far for only half a day." Kakashi ordered.

"Hai, senpai." Tenzou replied. Using his mokuton no jutsu, Tenzou created a small cabin for them to stay in for the night.

They got settled, removing their shoes and rolling out their sleeping mats. Yugao had set up a fire in the middle of the room as the wind picked up in the forest. Kakashi sat near the fire looking over the mission criteria. He noticed that the orders did state that they were allowed to enter Grass Country to capture the enemy.

_I really hope it doesn't come to that. _Kakashi thought.

"Tenzou! Yugao! I'd like to go over the mission criteria with you so you both fully understand what it is we are to do." Kakashi ordered.

Yugao and Tenzou sat around the fire waiting for Kakashi's detailed explanation of the mission. They still hadn't heard who the missing nin was, and what his strengths were yet.

"The man we are to capture has been missing from Fire Country for three years. His name is Jin Horikino. He's an earth chakra user, as well as a genjutsu user. If it comes to a fight, which it most surely will, I need you both to be on your guard. Don't get caught in a genjutsu. Know the signs, and keep moving. If he doesn't have a clear shot, you won't get caught in an illusion."

"Hai, senpai. We know how not to get caught in a genjutsu. We'll be on our guard, though, regardless." Yugao said, sounding insulted.

"What rank was this man before he left the village?" Tenzou asked trying to avoid a conflict.

"He was a chunin, but don't let that affect your judgment. He has had three years to develop more jutsu. Do not underestimate him." Kakashi told them. "Now, get some sleep. We all need to be well rested for tomorrow."

"Hai!"

"Hai, senpai!"

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The air was hot and the wind was harsh. There was barely any feeling in her left hand after the explosion; it was the only part of her body exposed to the elements. She was laying facedown, hardly able to breathe as the rocks crushed her back further into the hard ground. Luckily no large rocks had hit her head, but she was fading fast. The poison was hot in her veins, not to mention the blood loss from where she received the bite. Everything was dark, the sounds were hushed, and she was beginning to feel cold. She was slipping in and out, and she could just barely make out voices.

"No, there are no survivors. I've searched the entire area." Came a man's nervous and tired voice.

"Are you sure there are no more shinobi in the area? I was told there were shinobi from neighboring countries that came to your aid. Leaf Village ninja were sent to these parts. Have you seen any?" Another man, but a deeper, more commanding voice. He sounded disgusted, and a bit frightened.

"I only saw a couple of Leaf Village ninja, but they were both dead. You can continue to search, but I don't think you'll find who you're looking for. We're still bagging bodies; you may want to check the morgue." The first man said. By the strain in his voice, she could tell he was holding back tears.

She could hear footsteps close to where she was laying. She wanted to call out and let him know she was right there, but her voice was caught. She couldn't even muster a whisper.

"The woman you're looking for…" the first man again. "What did she look like? I remember seeing three leaf shinobi in this area about an hour ago."

"Uh…She's 18 years old and about average height with dark brown hair that touches her shoulders. She has brown eyes and a round face. She wears black pants and a tight red long sleeve shirt." The man with the deep voice described.

_He's describing me! I recognize that voice! Who is he? Who's looking for me? Please, please find me. Get me out of here! _She thought angrily.

"Yeah, now that you described her, I do remember a young girl that looked like that. She was with two men. One was very tall with short black hair and the other was shorter and heavier. He had light brown hair. All three of them looked pretty beaten up. Especially the girl. She was bleeding from her right side and from the left side of her chest. They were asking how far the Heaven and Earth Bridge was from here. I'm pretty sure they headed that way." The first man explained.

_No, no, no! I'm still here. Below you! Please, stay here. I'm right here. _She thought desperately.

"All right, thank you. That helps a lot." The man with the deep voice said. His footsteps began to move away from where she was.

Her eyes grew hot and wet with tears. If that man was heading toward the bridge, he'd never find her. She knew she was going to die here. She was losing feeling in her arms now, and she couldn't feel anything past her knees. Her breath became slow and shallow. Her eyes closed, and she silently prayed that the man would come back as she began to lose consciousness.

The pressure on her back was slowly removed. Her body felt heavy, like she was still being weighed down. As someone bent closer to her, she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. His warm fingers pressed against her neck, feeling for a pulse.

"She still has a pulse! It's very faint, but it's there." It was the man with the deep voice. She felt her body being pulled from the rocks and into his lap. There was something so familiar about his voice. She wanted to open her eyes to see who he was. "Somebody find Tsunade! She doesn't have much longer." She felt his hand on her face. It was so warm. "Yuushi, I finally found you."

She knew his voice now. She knew why it was so familiar. She began to lift her eye lids. Her breathing was still shallow, and her body was still heavy. She could see through her half open lids. He had a familiar face.

With a weak and raspy voice she spoke his name, "J-Jiraiya?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kakashi got almost no sleep last night due to the fact he was thinking about what the hokage had told him the day before. He had a strong feeling that there was something more going on; something that the hokage wasn't saying.

_Iwagakure? Why was she in Iwagakure? Konoha isn't on very good terms with them because of the Third Great Ninja War. This doesn't make any sense._

When she had told him she had a new mission, she had neglected to tell him where she was going. He knew there was something else going on.

Flashback

_He was coming back from his latest ANBU mission when he saw a group of ninja walking toward the front gate, getting ready to leave. He noticed it was a larger group than usual for a mission. _

'Six shinobi, this must be a difficult mission.' _Kakashi thought as he observed. That's when he saw a flash of red near the gate. _'Yuushi? What's she doing here?'

_If it was Yuushi going on this mission it couldn't be that dangerous. After all, she was the hokage's daughter. That's when he decided to go talk to the group. He wanted to know where they were going._

"_Hey, Yuushi. What's going on?" Kakashi asked._

_She smiled, seeing him walking toward her. "Hi, Kakashi. I'm leaving on a mission tonight." _

_Kakashi was now standing in front of her. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. He only patted her on the back, unsure of this public display of affection._

"_Uh…where are all of you headed?" Kakashi asked, still a little thrown off from the hug._

"_Oh, well, I'm not quite sure. They haven't told me where we're going yet." She said biting her lip as if she were embarrassed. "All I know is that it's going to be a long mission, even with so many shinobi. It may take longer than a year." Noticing the slight widening of Kakashi's visible eye she said, "I know, it surprised me, too."_

_Kakashi surprised her by dragging her away by her arm to an alley between two store fronts. He checked the surroundings to make sure no one was near by._

"_Kakashi, what…" Yuushi began, but suddenly stopped._

"_Yuushi, I want you to be very careful on this mission. Missions that last longer than a year usually involve a lot of reconnaissance. Just, always be on your guard. I recognized two of the men you are leaving with. They were both in prison for a time. I know you're supposed to trust your teammates, but be careful around those two, all right? Will you promise me that?" Kakashi explained._

"_Yes, I promise you. I'll be careful. I thought I recognized those two as well, but I couldn't place them. I'll write to you if you want. I'll keep you updated on what's going on and where we're headed." _

"_I'd like that. I just want to make sure you're safe, that's all." Kakashi smile behind his mask._

_Yuushi smiled back with a light blush across her cheeks and nose. She wrapped her right arm across the front of her body and rubber her left arm. Kakashi noticed this; it was a nervous habit of hers. _

"_Well, I guess I should head back. We're probably leaving soon." Yuushi turned and started to walk away. She was almost back on the street when she felt Kakashi's hand grab her upper arm._

"_Kakashi" She was cut off when she felt his lips on hers. And just as soon as the kiss began, it ended. Kakashi pulled away and allowed her to see his true face. He gave her a soft smile as she stared at him in wonder. When he was about to ask her what she was thinking, she gave him one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen on her face. _

"_I'm surprised. I never thought in a million years, I'd see your face." Yuushi said in awe._

"_Well, I wasn't really planning on it, but I figured a goodbye kiss wouldn't hurt." He explained._

"_That was sweet of you." She smiled again as she reached out and touched the side of his face. He did the same to her and pulled her close to kiss her again. This time he kissed her with more confidence, with warmer lips. When they pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers._

"_Stay safe." Kakashi whispered._

"_You don't have to worry about me, Kakashi. I can take care of myself." Yuushi smirked._

"_I'll always worry about you." Kakashi kissed her cheek and they pulled apart. "Have a good mission."_

"_I'll see you later. Goodbye, Kakashi." Yuushi walk back toward the front gate and Kakashi walk toward the hokage's office to turn in his mission report. _

End Flashback

"Senpai, I've spotted him! He's thirty meters ahead of us. He's not moving quickly." Yugao reported.

"Good, maybe this won't be as difficult as I first thought." Kakashi said. "Yugao, take left! Tenzou, take right! I'll come in from the front. If he tries to run, pursue him!"

"Hai!" He heard from both sides.

Kakashi increased his speed, moving as quickly and silently as he could toward their target. He could barely make out the movements of Tenzou and Yugao on either side of him. They were hidden well. If their target only paid attention to him, Yugao and Tenzou would be completely invisible to him. Everything was going well, until three kunai flew straight at Kakashi.

"Shit!" Kakashi dodged and moved faster toward the enemy. They were closing in on him quickly. Kakashi was right on his tail when he slipped out of his grasp. The enemy turned and halted a few feet in front of him. Kakashi stopped his momentum as best he could. A fist came toward his face and he moved his head a little to the right before kicking his left leg out, catching the enemy in the abdomen. As his foot collided with the man's middle, Tenzou used his mokuton jutsu to bind the enemy.

The man was breathing hard and fast as he tried to squirm his way out of the binding. He seemed jittery and almost scared.

"You're breathing too heavily for an encounter that short. How long have you been running? You were stopped to catch your breath when you noticed me, weren't you?" Kakashi asked staring the man in the face, which was difficult considering the long black strands that covered the man's eyes.

"Yes, I was catching my breath." The man said with a tenor, breathy voice. "I've been running for almost an entire day. This was the first time I stopped since dawn."

"Where are you running from? Fire Country?" Tenzou asked, his justsu still in affect.

"No, I've been running from the north. I went through waterfall when the others started to follow." The man replied.

"Others? Who else is looking for you?" Kakashi inquired.

"Rock ninja. I ran east trying to get rid of them, then moved south to run on the border of Fire Country, that was when your ninja spotted me. I stopped when I was between countries, but only long enough to get some sleep. I guess that was long enough for you three to catch up to me."

"Why not go straight south to Grass Country?" Yugao asked.

"Something's happened near the southern border of Rock Country. Didn't you hear about the destruction, the monsters?" The man informed them, looking surprised.

"Regardless, you're coming with us. You're a missing nin, a criminal. We'll take you back to Fire Country, where you will go to prison." Kakashi told him.

"But I'm not a criminal! I ran away to escape my father. I never wanted to become a ninja, but he pushed me to do it. I couldn't handle it anymore, so I ran." The man pleaded.

"That doesn't matter. You are a ninja, and you ran away. That's grounds enough to put you in jail for at least a year." Tenzou scolded. Tenzou released the technique and bound the man's hands behind his back with thick ropes. He picked him up by the collar and pushed him in the opposite direction, toward Konoha.

The three man cell and their prisoner took off at a quick pace, trying to make it as far as they could before night fall. As they ran, Kakashi pondered what the man had told him about Rock Country.

_Destruction? Did Yuushi get caught in the middle of it? And there were monsters involved, too? What kind of monsters, though? _Kakashi thought.

"Oi, Jin, you said there were monsters in Rock Country, right? What kind of monsters?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know exactly. I only heard stories. I heard the monsters were huge and nearly invincible. Their hides were thick and their fangs and claws were poisonous. I don't know how many people actually survived, but I also heard that many ninja from all the countries sent back up, but not many made it out." Jin ended with a troubled look in his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a friend who was deployed to Iwagakure about a year ago." Kakashi said simply.

Hearing this, Yugao and Tenzou exchanged a look through their ANBU masks. Kakashi didn't miss this exchange and knew there would be many questions to be answered later, when they ditched their missing nin at the prison.

They travelled until it became to dark to see anything ahead of them. They set up camp and rose again at dawn to finish their journey. When they turned Jin into the authorities, the three man cell deployed again, heading for Konoha.

"Senpai…who was deployed to Iwagakure?" Yugao asked reproachfully. Tenzou became tense as he awaited Kakashi's answer.

"Sarutobi Yuushi." He answered with a detached voice.

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The high pitched beep of a machine could be heard near the edge of the wall. There were many of these machines lined up against the walls of the makeshift hospital. So many patients were lying in bed, some were unconscious, some awake and in pain, but all of them were connected to the machines with IVs. One such patient was badly beaten up. Her entire torso was wrapped in bandages and she was connected to an IV drip, and a blood transfusion IV.

Yuushi was falling in and out of consciousness. Her body felt tight, being wrapped in so many bandages, and she felt the uncomfortable prick of the two IVs in her arm. She heard the beep of the monitor next to her and knew she was still alive.

"How is she?" Jiraiya's voice came from her right.

"It's hard to say. It's been two days and she still hasn't woken up. Her wounds are showing signs of healing, except for the bite in her abdomen. I did the best I could to remove the venom and prepare an anti-venom, but there's been no progress." Tsunade said from somewhere near her feet.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Jiraiya asked with a grim voice.

"If the anti-venom begins to work, she should recover just fine, but only time will tell." Tsunade replied.

"Ah…mestumekhurs." A mumble came from Yuushi as she slowly opened her eyes.

"What was that?" Jiraiya asked with concerned eyes.

"My stomach hurts." She said in almost a whisper.

"Hahaha, that's all you have to say for yourself?" Jiraiya roared, caught in a fit of laughter. "You have such horrible injuries, you nearly died in enemy territory, and all you say is that your stomach hurts!"

"Jiraiya, stop it! The venom may be affecting her body." Tsunade scolded, giving Jiraiya a heavy glare. "Yuushi, how are you feeling? Are you nauseous, in pain, tired?"

"I don't know. My stomach hurts and I feel exhausted." She replied with a stronger voice. "I think these bandages are too tight, I'm having a hard time breathing, Tsunade-sama."

"Okay, I'll change your bandages and make sure they aren't so tight this time." Tsunade said with kind eyes. "Shizune!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Shizune appeared in front of Lady Tsunade.

"Be more considerate when you're patching up your patients! Her bandages are too tight." Tsunade scolded the woman while she pointed toward Yuushi.

Shizune had fear written all over her face as Tsunade yelled at her. She hadn't meant to make the bandages too tight. When she looked over at the patient who claimed this, she saw Yuushi trying to sit up.

"Yuushi-chan! You're awake. Oh, don't try to sit up, dear. You need to be careful with yourself." Shizune said in one breath.

"No, you need to be more careful with the bandages!" Tsunade yelled. When Tsunade realized the girl was no longer listening, she gave up and reached for Jiraiya's arm. "You! You're coming with me while Shizune applies new bandages to Yuushi."

Jiraiya was dragged by his arm toward the door. Tsunade then proceeded to throw him out of the room with as much force as she could muster.

"Yuushi-chan, how are you feeling?" Shizune asked as she began to unwrap the bandages.

"Um…I really don't know. A lot has happened over the past couple of days. The pain I feel is only in my stomach." Yuushi paused for a second as she gasped when Shizune began to clean her wounds. "Well, maybe a little in my chest now." She chuckled, giving Shizune a small smile.

"What happened?" Shizune asked staring at the circular cut in Yuushi's chest.

"Which part?" Yuushi asked, a burning anger in her eyes.

"Your chest, what happened? Tsunade told me where the bite came from." As she said this, Shizune saw her cringe. "I'm sorry."

"We were searching for survivors in an apartment complex. The building was a mess. The floor was falling in and the walls were breaking away. When the ground shook, I lost my balance and fell backward. A rebar sticking out of the floor pierced me through the chest." Yuushi explained not meeting Shizune's gaze.

Shizune's eyes visibly widened. She couldn't image the pain that it must have caused. She reached for the new bandages and began to wrap them around Yuushi's body, starting at her shoulders.

"That fall could have killed you." Shizune said in a whisper.

"I know…but luckily, it didn't go through my heart." Yuushi said, a small smile on her lips.

"How did you get yourself off the rebar?" Shizune asked, pausing in her duties to look at Yuushi's face.

"There were four others with me. Each one grabbed either my arm or leg and lifted me off of it." Yuushi met Shizune's eyes, and noticed the pain on her face. "Yes, it was very painful."

"How horrible." Shizune said, barely audible. Shizune kept quiet the rest of the time she wrapped the bandages. She sensed Yuushi's need to not speak of the events she'd been through. She taped the bandages and checked to make sure there weren't any loose ends. "All right, I'm all finished. They're not too tight, are they?"

"No, they're fine. I can breathe much easier now. Thank you Shizune-san." Yuushi smiled. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?" Shizune wondered.

"Could you get me some water?"

"Oh, of course!" Shizune turned to move, but sensed that Yuushi was not done with her request. "Is there something else?"

Yuushi nodded. "Could you ask Tsunade-sama to let Jiraiya-sama back in? I don't want to sit here alone."

"Sure. I'll be right back." Shizune left to get the water. Yuushi saw her walk toward Tsunade and begin to speak with her. Tsunade looked right at Yuushi in confusion, then looked back at Shizune and nodded. The next thing she new, Jiraiya was sitting next to her again.

"Her you go. I'm sorry there wasn't any water near you before." Shizune apologized.

"Thank you, Shizune-san." She drank as much as she could before she had to breathe again. "Jiraiya-sama, how did you find me?"

"I've been looking for you. I remember hearing that you were with a group of shinobi travelling to Rock Country. When I heard of the attacks, I wanted to make sure you were okay." Jiraiya looked at her with sad eyes. "Tsunade tells me that if I hadn't found you when I did, you would have been dead."

"Why? I mean, why did you want to make sure _I _was okay?" She asked, confusion in her voice.

"Because you are my sensei's daughter, and I've taken a liking to you." Jiraiya smiled. "Will tell me exactly what happened?" He became serious again.

"Not now. It's too painful. All I know is that they're all dead." Tears filling her eyes, the beeping on the monitor became faster as she was filled with so many emotions.

"Hey, hey, you're all right." Jiraiya tried to console her. "Everything is going to turn out all right. Tell you what, when you get better, how would you like to travel with me. I found a mission scroll in your bag after Tsunade began to fix you up. It seems you have some things to take care of before you go back home. What do you say?"

She gave a small smile before answering, "I'd like very much to travel with you Jiraiya-sama. Thank you."

"Then it's settled. Now, you need rest." Yuushi began to protest as he stood up. "Don't worry. I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not leaving until you do."

"You better not. I don't want to get stuck with the slug princess." Yuushi made a face.

"Hahaha, I won't leave. I promise. Now, go back to sleep." Jiraiya laughed. He stayed next to her bed until she drifted off to sleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kakashi was walking back to his apartment, dinner in hand, when he saw Asuma walking his way, but he looked different. As they walked closer to each other, Kakashi noticed the smell of alcohol on him.

"Asuma, are you all right? Do you want me to walk you home?" Kakashi offered. He was worried about his friend.

"Huh?" Asuma looked up at Kakashi. He looked confused. "Oh, no, I can get home on my own. Thanks, Kakashi." Asuma put his head down again and began to walk away.

"No problem." Kakashi whispered as he slipped back into his own thoughts.

_I guess he finally knows that his sister is dead. I feel for him. I was close to Yuushi as well._

Kakashi reached his apartment and put his dinner in the refrigerator. He had lost his appetite after his encounter with Asuma. He walked into his bedroom and took off his vest, forehead protector, and long-sleeve blue shirt. When he was more comfortable, he fell backward onto his bed.

_Yuushi what happened to you? Why were you so far away from home? And in enemy territory, no less. You left so many behind. You promised you would return to me. I miss you. I love you._

Kakashi opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. His eyes burned with sadness, as a few tears slipped out of the corners of his eyes and onto the bed sheets. As his tears began to flow freely, he was overcome with exhaustion. He fell asleep and dreamed of Yuushi.

"_Yuushi what's wrong? You don't look like yourself." Kakashi spoke as he tried to catch her eyes._

"_I'm fine, Kakashi. Really, I'm just tired from my last mission." Yuushi said with a weak voice. "What? Don't look at me like that!"_

"_I don't believe you. Even when you're exhausted, you still have a light in your eyes. Today it's gone. Did something happen?" Kakashi asked with a soft voice._

"_No." She tried to avoid his eyes again._

"_Yuushi! Seriously, what happened yesterday? You were fine until you spoke to your father last night." Kakashi was losing his patience._

"_I'm fine! Let it be, Cynic boy!" Yuushi yelled._

"_Cynic boy? Hn, I haven't been called that in a long time. You must really be frustrated with me if you called me that again." Kakashi laughed._

"_Yeah, I am frustrated with you. So… Hey, stop laughing at me!" Yuushi began to turn red in the face. "Kakashi, what's so funny?"_

_Kakashi continued laughing. "Nothing, it's just I enjoy making you angry. I like it when you show more emotion. Now, that's the Yuushi I know." Kakashi smiled when Yuushi calmed down. "Now, let's get back to the original topic. Where do you want to go to lunch?"_

Kakashi woke up. His eyes felt dry and they burned when he blinked. He sat up to look at the clock on his bedside table. The bright red numbers read 11:06. As he sat, thinking over his dream, his stomach growled loudly.

"I guess I should eat my dinner now." Kakashi turned on the light in the kitchen and got his dinner from the fridge. When he looked up something caught his eye. He turned and saw the framed picture from when Yuushi started in ANBU. Kakashi stood next to her, and on her other side stood the Third Hokage, her father. His eyes fell again and he sat down at his table and turned the television on, not wanting to feel so alone in the silence again.

He thought of his dream again. Yuushi had been in a foul mood, and speaking to her about her father had always been a sore subject.

_Wait! That's it! I remember when that had happened. She was upset with her father after she had spoken with him and no more than a week later she was sent on her last mission._

"So, the hokage did know something. Something must have happened between the two of them, that's why she wasn't as happy as she had always been before she left. But what happened?" Kakashi tried to work all of it out in his mind. "I need more information if I want to figure this out."

_____________________________________________________________________________

Yuushi lay in bed. She had woken up again when her nightmares took over again. She was breathing heavily while she tried to regain her composure.

"Yuushi, are you all right?" Shizune's voice came from beside her.

"Oh, yes, I'm okay. Just another nightmare. It woke me up." Yuushi explained.

"Do you need anything?"

"I think I'm out of water, could you get me some more?" She asked.

"Sure I'll be right back."

"I don't think I've ever seen you hyperventilate quite like that before. Are you sure you're okay, Yuushi?" Jiraiya's voice came from the chair beside her bed. His hand found its way to her own. He squeezed her hand reassuring her.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to get a hold of myself." Yuushi said as she was still breathing heavily. "Jiraiya, how do I make them stop?"

"Huh? Make what stop?" Jiraiya asked, letting go of her hand.

"The nightmares. The pain in my heart. How do I get rid of it?" She asked the pain in her eyes showing.

"It doesn't go away. Not ever." Jiraiya spoke.

Yuushi's eyes filled with hot tears as she remembered all the pain she had gone through. All of the monsters and all of the death. She lost all of her teammates during those two horrific days.

Shizune returned with a fresh pitcher of water. When she saw the pain in Yuushi's face she was afraid her wounds were hurting again.

"Yuushi?" Shizune began.

"She's fine, Shizune. Her wounds are fine. Just leave her be." Jiraiya spoke.

Shizune nodded and left to tend to her other patients. She worried about Yuushi the most because of her mental state.

"Jiraiya, will you leave me to my thoughts for a little while?" Yuushi asked in a quiet voice.

"Sure, I'll come back later." Jiraiya stood up and left, most likely going to find Tsunade.

"Finally, I'm alone." She said quietly to herself.

_Kakashi, I miss you. I want to write to you again, but it may be too dangerous. I'm still in enemy territory, but I'm so near the border to Wind Country. If you only knew what I knew…you would understand why I'm here right now. Kakashi, love you. I'll keep my promise. I will return to you._

For the first time since she was admitted to the hospital, she slept peacefully. She dreamed of the past, of when she was happy, of Kakashi.

When Jiraiya came back, he watched her as she slept and noticed something different than usual. She was smiling.


	4. Chapter 4: Three Months Later

**Author's Note: **Hey, guys. I hope you're liking my story. I'd love it if you would review. I really want to know what you think.

Thanks,

Yuushi-chan

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Chapter 4: Three Months Later

Today was the day. Kakashi would be getting his first genin team. He was in the hokage's office with five other jonin who would be sensei during this term. The hokage showed each of the jonin in his office each of their new teammates.

When Kakashi saw the three genin he would be teaching, he noticed that one of the boys was very fidgety. This boy was very tall and gangly with shaggy light brown hair that shadowed his eyes. He looked very nervous around his peers.

_This kid is not ready to be a ninja. He may never be ready. He's too nervous, too obvious. He may try to stay in the background, but he's the obvious target._

"Kakashi, this will be one of your students. His name is Konura Hiro. I know you think he is too nervous, but the boy is very skilled. He is weak in taijutsu and does not have much of a skill for ninjutsu." The hokage spoke while watching Kakashi's reaction.

"The boy is an obvious target." Kakashi said simply.

"There is something you should know about him, though."

"And what is that?" Kakashi turned to look fully at the hokage.

"He lost both his parents not long ago. His father was killed on a mission two years ago, his moth died of cancer only a year later. The boy is a mute."

At this information, Kakashi's eyes widened. It was not uncommon for children to isolate themselves, but it was rare when a kid stopped speaking.

"That's very…unusual, Lord Hokage." Kakashi said, looking back at the boy who was pictured in the crystal ball. "Who are my other students?"

"Hitsuko Goro and Momuro Chiyo. Goro has skill with a blade and has talent in genjutsu. Chiyo will be the kunoichi on your team. She has a strong determination for such a young child. She is also the youngest on your team. She's ten, while both of the boys are thirteen. Chiyo has three older brothers. She has stated on more than one occasion that she wishes to surpass all of them." The hokage smiled as he watched her in the crystal ball.

"Does she have any specialties?" Kakashi asked.

"She likes to experiment with ninjutsu. She has a knack for setting traps. Living with older siblings, boys no less, you can imagine that she needs to defend herself." The hokage laughed.

"Sure, she does." Kakashi smiled. "She seems loud, though. She stands out."

"She's not one to hold back. If she disagrees with you, which she surely will, you'll hear about it." The hokage paused as he gauged Kakashi's reaction to all the information of his new students. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to meet your new team?"

"Yes, Sir." Kakashi spoke, snapping out of his thoughts.

_They're not ready. They may have their qualities, but they're all lacking too much. I guess I'll just see what they can do with the bell test. They should know teamwork._

Kakashi walked into the class room where he was to meet his new team. The first thing he noticed was the small huddle in the back corner of the room, away from the other students. A tall gangly boy looked uncomfortable with the closeness of the other two students. His bangs were in his eyes and his long-sleeve brown shirt covered his hands. The other boy was speaking fervently to the female teammate. He had short black hair and wore a green tank top with black pants. On his back was strapped a katana. The girl was listening to his story intently and conversing as well. She wore a light blue short-sleeve top and a black skirt with light blue shorts underneath. Her long brown hair was tied back with a light blue ribbon at the base of her neck.

_Well, I guess that's my new team. I'll go over to them and lead them to the training area._

"Hey, guys." Kakashi waved and smiled with a familiar eye crinkle. "I'm your new sensei. Let's head to the training area and get to know each other, okay?"

"Okay, sensei!" The girl smiled, looking excited to begin.

"Sure." The boy with the sword said.

The third boy just nodded avoiding Kakashi's eyes and walking around him to escape the uncomfortable closeness he felt. As Kakashi led them to training area seven, he heard two of his students whispering.

"Why do you think he wears that mask?" The boy asked.

"I dunno. Maybe he has a hideous face." The girl said in a thoughtful tone.

"No, I don't think so."

"What? But you just asked me." The girl complained.

"Yeah, but I never said I didn't have my own theory."

"Whatever!" The girl said as she walked ahead. She looked frustrated and embarrassed.

"What do you think, Hiro?" The boy asked.

Hiro only shrugged. He hid behind his bangs and continued walking silently behind Kakashi.

"Well, you're no fun. Hey, how come you don't talk?" The boy inquired.

Hiro stayed silent and turned his face away from his teammate. He walked faster trying to escape the uncomfortable subject.

"All right, this is far enough. Sit down." Kakashi said as he turned toward them.

All three of them sat down as ordered. Hiro sat farther away from the other two.

"How about you introduce yourselves." Kakashi offered.

"What do you want us to say?" The girl asked.

"Your likes and dislikes. Your dreams for the future. You know, things like that." Kakashi said.

"Won't you introduce yourself first, sensei?" The girl asked.

"All right. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future, I never really thought about it. And as for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." Kakashi ended.

_I don't need to tell these kids anything. They'll probably fail anyway._

"Now, who wants to go first?" Kakashi smiled.

The little girl in front raised her hand nearly jumping off the ground wanting to introduce herself first.

"All right, you go first since you seem so inclined to do so."

"My name is Momuro Chiyo. I like setting traps for my older brothers around the house and what I don't like is when my brothers find out what I did and attack me. My dream is to be better than all my brothers. My hobbies are reading comics and making new jutsu." Chiyo smiled as she finished her introduction.

"Good, now how about you." Kakashi pointed at the boy with the sword.

"My name is Hitsuko Goro. I like sword fighting. I don't like when I cut myself with my own blade. My dream for the future is to be a great shinobi with a sword. My hobby is training with my sword." Goro smirked at Kakashi.

"All right, and that leaves you." Kakashi pointed at the last boy, Hiro.

"Oh, you're not going to get anything out of him. He never talks." Chiyo said.

"Oh?" Kakashi faked surprise. "Well, then if he's not going to talk we'll start your test."

"Test? What to we need to take a test for?" Goro protested.

"It's a different kind of test. It's survival training. The graduation test is only to pick the shinobi with the best talent to become genin. If you fail this test, you will be sent back to the academy." Kakashi explained, gauging their reactions.

"What?!" Chiyo yelled. "That's not fair! I worked so hard to be here. I can't go back to the academy!"

"No way!" Goro yelled.

Kakashi noticed movement from Hiro. He looked up, and Kakashi got the first look of the boy's face. He had rosy cheeks and sunken dark eyes that stared at him in fear and disappointment.

"Well, now that you've gotten all your complaints out, we'll start survival training." Kakashi smiled.

He pulled two bells from his pocket and held them in front of their faces.

"This is called a bell test. Your goal is to get the bells from me using whatever means necessary. In order to get the bells you must come at me with the intent to kill. You have until four o'clock to get a bell." Kakashi tied the little bells to his pants. He looked at all of them. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just, there are only two bells. Even if we get the bells, one of us will fail." Goro explained.

"Yes, that is true. One of you will surely be sent back to the Academy. Now, get ready." Kakashi ordered.

All three students stood up and got into their beginning poses. They stared at him with determined eyes. They were sizing him up.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me!" Kakashi yelled.

"You haven't said 'start' yet, Sensei." Chiyo said.

"Do you only do what you're told? Fine, then…start!" Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Where'd he go?" Chiyo asked.

"I don't know, but we have to hide. Come on." Goro said.

All three ran in separate directions and hid. They were quiet while they waited for the opportune moment to attack.

_Good, they're all hidden very well. This is a good start, but they have no chance. They're too far apart from each other. And on top of that, not one of them attacked me before I told them to begin._

Kakashi stood in the middle of the training field trying to catch a sign of their chakra. He heard a movement in the bushed not far from where he stood. It was then that he felt Chiyo's chakra signature. He vanished in a puff of smoke again and reappeared behind the bush Chiyo was hiding in. He heard her gasp and knew he had her cornered.

"I found you." Kakashi stated as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her out of the bush. "You didn't do the best job of hiding, Chiyo. How are you going to get out of this?" Just as he finished asking there was a puff of smoke in his face and he was now holding a log. "Good, she knows the replacement jutsu."

Kakashi sensed Hiro's presence and turned around. The boy was standing in plain sight with a kunai in each hand. Kakashi took his stance and Hiro charged. A kick came toward Kakashi's head and he blocked it with no problem as Hiro's hand with a kunai came across his stomach. Kakashi threw Hiro back and now had his stolen kunai in his hand.

"Come on. If you want a bell, you're going to have to do better than that." Kakashi taunted. When Hiro charged again, Kakashi sent him flying with a kick to the stomach. Kakashi walked toward the boy when he wasn't moving. He bent over him and noticed he was knocked out.

"On to the next one I guess." Kakashi said as he disappeared again in search of Goro.

_So far none of these kids have even thought of attacking me as a team. If they don't learn that's the only way to get the bells, I'm going to fail them. I told Hokage-sama they weren't ready. Just from my first two encounters, the girl is the most promising, but she's too used to fighting on her own that she won't even think of working with the others._

Kakashi returned to the clearing where they began the survival training to search for Goro. The boy hid well. Kakashi went in the opposite direction of the other two, toward the cliff face. He hid in the trees while he searched for Goro's chakra signature. He looked toward the bushes, but soon enough found out that he did not need to look anymore. Goro was running from one bush to another in broad visibility.

"You know, you really shouldn't come out of hiding while you're supposed to be evading the enemy." Kakashi whispered in Goro's ear when he appeared behind the boy.

Goro yelled out as he was surprised by the appearance of his sensei. He turned with a fearful look in his eyes as he reached for his katana. Seeing this, Kakashi pulled a kunai from his holder. Goro overcame the surprise and swing at Kakashi. Kakashi blocked every strike.

"I'm surprised. You have skill with a blade. Not many ninja know how to use a short range weapon." Kakashi praised.

"I've been training with a katana since I was seven years old. My father taught me." Goro explained as he swung at Kakashi again, who blocked the attack. "How are you able to block every one of my blows with just a kunai?!"

"I've been doing this for many years. You cannot beat me." Kakashi smirked.

Just as Goro was about to swing downwards toward Kakashi's shoulder, Kakashi disappeared.

"What? Where'd he go?" Goro asked out loud. "Left? Right? Behind?!" He turned around quickly not wanting to be caught from behind.

"Where, you ask?" Kakashi's voice rang out. "I'm where you least expect me."

Kakashi's hand reached up from the earth and grabbed on to Goro's ankle. He pulled him down and trapped the boy in the earth only leaving his head above the ground. Kakashi kneeled near the boy so he could speak to his head.

"You must adjust to all your surroundings, even if the change quickly. You took too long searching for where I went when instead you should have run away. You're an easy target when you're just standing there." Kakashi laughed as he walked away from the boy, letting him figure out his own way out of the ground.

Kakashi sauntered back to the clearing in training area seven when three shuriken blew past him from behind. He turned around and saw Chiyo with three more shuriken ready to be thrown. Her eyes were fierce as she threw the shuriken. Kakashi threw three of his own shuriken and block the attack. Chiyo ran toward him with a kunai. She kicked toward his ankles, but Kakashi jumped upward avoiding it. She came slashing at Kakashi trying to land a hit, but he was too quick for her. He smirked knowing she would never be able to land a hit, but was shocked when he felt someone jump on his back.

"What? She got behind me?" Kakashi turned and saw Chiyo hanging on to his back. The clone in front of him disappeared as the real Chiyo pulled her arm around Kakashi's neck trying to strangle him. Kakashi grabbed onto her arm around his neck and pulled her over his shoulder. She controlled her movements and caught him under his chin with her foot. As Kakashi fell backward, she reached out for the bell that was so close to her fingertips. Kakashi regained his balance and pushed away from her, not letting her get a bell.

Chiyo moved to stand up, but when she was on her feet again, Kakashi had disappeared. She ran toward the clearing trying to find her sensei to finish their fight.

_They have five minutes to find me and attack as a team before I fail them. Chiyo is determined, but she's too concerned with herself. Goro is skilled with a blade, but he's too obvious of a fighter. He only attacks head on. Hiro is weaker than the others. He can't control his chakra as well and has weak taijutsu._

Kakashi finished his analysis of his students as he ran toward the clearing. The alarm rang just as he arrived. Hiro was walking into the clearing not long after. He was rubbing his head where he had been knocked out. Chiyo was sitting in the clearing waiting for the results of the exercise. Goro was the last to return. He was still brushing off dirt from his clothing.

"How did we do sensei?" Chiyo asked with a smile on her face. She had no idea what was coming.

"Well, Chiyo, you think about yourself too much. You worried about getting a bell more than helping your teammates. Hiro took me on just after you used the replacement jutsu. Instead of running, you should have helped your teammate." Kakashi explained.

"Hiro, your skills are weak. You shouldn't have tried to fight me. You're no match for me. You were down in less than a minute. You should have stayed hidden the entire time.

"And Goro, you're too obvious of a fighter. You use too many frontal attacks. It gives your enemy too many chances to get behind you." Kakashi finished.

All three of them had their heads down. None of them dared to look at their sensei. They waited in fear now.

"My final decision…you all fail!" Kakashi said.

At this Chiyo stood up quickly. "What?! You've got to be kidding me! I'm being sent back to the academy? Why?"

"Why do you think they put you on squads of three?" Kakashi asked getting frustrated.

All three of them shrugged.

"Teamwork! You must work together to complete a mission. After this exercise, I see that none of you would survive as genin. You're not ready to be ninja." Kakashi looked disgusted.

Chiyo was near tears hearing this. Goro was quiet and looking away from everybody. Hiro was already crying. Kakashi couldn't see his eyes, but he could see the tears falling from his face.

"Go home. I'm done with you three." Kakashi said while walking away. He heard all three of them stand up and begin to follow him out of the training area.

Kakashi walked toward Hokage Tower to give his assessment of these students. He needed to inform the hokage that those kids would be sent back to the academy.

Kakashi knocked on the door to the hokage's office. When he heard the hokage's voice telling him to enter, he walked into the office.

"Kakashi, you're done with your test already?" The hokage said. He was surprised to see Kakashi. "What are your results?"

"They failed the test. They will all be sent back to the academy." Kakashi told him.

"Did you even give them a chance, Kakashi?"

"Of course I did, but it didn't make any difference. They didn't know how to work together as a team. They'll be ready in a few years, except for Hiro. He has no skills. He should be dropped from the program." Kakashi turned to look out the window.

"I see. Well, then, I'll make the arrangements to send them back to the academy." The hokage said as he reached for the book of students to write their names down as fails. "You may leave."

Kakashi nodded and left the office. He made his way to the memorial. He didn't have a chance to pay his respects this morning. He stood at the memorial until the stars shone bright in the clear night sky.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

"Well, are you ready to go?" Jiraiya asked Yuushi.

She finished packing her small bag and threw it onto her back. She slipped her shoes on and walked through the doors with Jiraiya.

"Yeah, let's go." She said with a smile on her face. "It's been too long since I've been able to go outside. I've missed the fresh air."

"So, where is it that you need to be close to? Where does the mission scroll say you need to go next?" Jiraiya asked as they walked through the gates.

Yuushi pulled the mission scroll out of her bag and read through it. "It says that I nee to head to Waterfall Country. I need to be on the eastern border of the country. That's close enough to the Sound Village isn't it?"

Jiraiya turned quickly to look at her. He was surprised that she knew where he wanted to go. "How do you know I need to go to Otogakure?"

"Well, you're looking for Orochimaru aren't you? Isn't that where he headed? He founded it didn't he?" Yuushi asked. She was reproachful. She didn't want to be on Jiraiya's nerves already.

"I am looking for Orochimaru, but how did you know all that about Otogakure?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, do you remember when you asked me why I was sent to Rock Country?"

Jiraiya nodded. He still hadn't heard the entire story, but from what she had told him, he could piece it together.

"When I was told that I would be going on this mission, it was after I was found sneaking around in my father's office. I found some information on Orochimaru while I was looking through files, but that's not the reason I was sent. That's a long story and I'd rather not talk about it right now." Yuushi explained.

"I see. So you were snooping? You know you shouldn't do that, especially not in the hokage's office. Yuushi, you know better than that." Jiraiya scolded.

"Yeah, yeah. I got myself into this mess and now I'll get myself out. I can do it." She raised her face toward the sky and closed her eyes. They were already about a mile from the hospital. "It's such a beautiful day. I've missed the sun."

Jiraiya chuckled while he watched Yuushi. "You act like the hospital is a prison."

"Well, it kind of is. Even if they are healing me, I'm not allowed to train, or go outside, or eat better food." Yuushi laughed at her assessment. "Speaking of better food, when we come across a market, or stand, or whatever, we're stopping. I've been eating hospital food for three months. I think I deserve something better."

"All right, and I suppose you want me to treat you?" Jiraiya smirked.

"You have to. I have no money." Yuushi explained looking at him.

Jiraiya turned away as they kept walking. Yuushi gauged his movements. She didn't want to upset him. She knew he wasn't found of kids. Even if she was almost nineteen, he still got annoyed with her. When she thought he wasn't going to interact with her anymore, he turned to her and smiled.

"All right, fine, I buy you some food. Besides, you're looking pretty scrawny. Those clothes of yours are pretty beat up, so I'll buy you a new uniform, too, okay?" Jiraiya said as he looked her up and down.

Yuushi blushed. "Thank you, but you really don't have to."

"Don't even try that. Don't make me feel like I'm the bad guy here."

"Sorry. I'm just not used to it. You're not always this giving. And really, it's me who owes you. You saved my life. If there's anything I can do for you, I'd be happy to help." She turned to look at him and he was staring at her thoughtfully. All of a sudden he got a gleam in his eye.

"Research?" He asked with a goofy grin.

"Ugh! Anything, but that. I am not going to let you study my body. Serious, it's degrading." Yuushi said with a disgusted look on her face. "I can't believe you'd even suggest that. I'm your sensei's daughter, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Well, sure, that makes you an easy target." Jiraiya smirked.

"You are a disgusting old perv!" Yuushi yelled. She picked up her pace and walked ahead of him so she didn't have to talk to him anymore. As soon as she was a head of him, she stopped. They had come to a cross roads. "Jiraiya, which way do we go?"

"We're heading east, so we'll take the road to the right." He was quiet again as he walked behind her. "You know, I was kidding when I suggested you be a part of my research. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Thank you. That makes me feel better." Yuushi smiled as she looked back at him. "So what are you going to do if you do find Orochimaru?"

"I want to bring him back to Konoha, but I know he won't go without a fight. I'll have to fight him and knock him out if I ever want to bring him home." He explained. "And what will you do once you finish your mission in Waterfall? Will you go back to Konoha?"

"No. I can't go back to Konoha. Waterfall isn't my last stop." Yuushi pulled out her mission scroll again.

Jiraiya was taken aback by this statement. "What do you mean it's not your last stop?"

"Well, it says right here, that once I'm finished in Waterfall, I'll have to travel to Water Country to carry out a long mission there. After that, I'll go back to Konoha." She put the scroll away and turned around to walk backwards so she could speak to Jiraiya face to face. "Will you go back to Konoha even if you don't find Orochimaru?"

"I don't know yet. I may try to find Tsunade again, but I also may continue my research in different lands." Jiraiya smiled as he began to fantasize about his research.

"You're such a pig." Yuushi turned around again and kept walking.

They had been travelling for a few hours now and they were finally on the border of Grass Country. It was less than half a day until they got to Waterfall Country, but night was falling and they had come across a small village.

As promised, Jiraiya bought Yuushi better food than hospital food. They got a room at an inn for the night to get some rest. The first thing Yuushi did was take a shower while Jiraiya wrote some more information in one of his notebooks.

The hot water felt so good as it bore into her back. Now that she was alone she was able to release all the emotions she was holding in when she was with Jiraiya.

Flashback

"_Riku, look out!" Yuushi yelled. A kunai with a paper bomb attached landed just in front of Riku. Just as it exploded Riku did a back flip to escape the blast. _

"_That was close." Riku said. He was out of breath from the rock ninja they had just fought and killed. "There are a lot more rock ninja coming; we need to get out of here. Yuushi grab Hideo and head toward the Heaven and Earth Bridge."_

_Yuushi ran toward Hideo and grabbed his arm, pulling him off the ground. "Hideo, come on! We need to get out of here." Yuushi yelled._

"_I'm gonna need some help. The cut in my leg is deep. I'm losing feeling in it." Hideo groaned._

"_Okay," she said as she pulled his left arm over her shoulders. "Does that help?"_

"_Yeah, thanks."_

"_Come on you guys! We need to get moving now!" Riku yelled. _

_Yuushi moved as quickly as she could with Hideo clinging to her. Riku ran toward them and helped support Hideo._

"_You guys, I think I can manage on my own. I don't want to slow you down." Hideo spoke. He pulled his arms away from his teammates. He was wobbly on his legs, but he could move pretty quickly._

_The three ninja picked up their pace as a few shuriken flew past them. Yuushi looked behind her and saw the ninja behind them scattering._

"_Don't look now, but they've stopped following us." Yuushi smiled._

"_That doesn't mean we're out of danger. You know that!" Riku yelled. He looked angry, but Yuushi could see the fear in his eyes._

_Hideo had fallen behind because of the pain in his leg. He paused to catch his breath. Yuushi heard a heavy foot sink into the ground not far behind them. Her heart raced as she felt the evil presence behind them. When she turned around, she saw the monster standing not twenty feet behind Hideo. It had to be three hundred feet tall. Its fangs reached from its upper lips to a few feet past its chin. Its black eyes were sunken deep into its skull and gave it a hollow face. Its front legs were covered in a thick gray hide and had poisonous barbs lining the entire length of the appendage. Its back legs were covered in the same thick hide as the rest of its body and were coiled and a position that made it look like it was ready to pounce. Its long poisonous claws reached around five feet on all four of its massive feet. She could hear its deep breathing as it smelled the air, looking for its prey._

"_Hideo, look out!" Yuushi pointed behind him._

_Hideo turned quickly to look behind him and saw the enormous creature stalking toward him. It hadn't spotted him yet, but Yuushi was sure it had already smelled him out. Its mole-like nose was pointed toward the ground. Every time it exhaled, the rocks on the ground moved._

_The monster was standing over Hideo and its sunken eyes were staring straight at him._

"_Hideo move!" Riku yelled. _

_Hideo was paralyzed by fear. He didn't move, he didn't look for an escape, he didn't even breathe. Before Yuushi could yell again, Riku pulled her under a small bridge. She watched the monster attack. Its mouth came down on Hideo's leg as it pulled him into his mouth. Yuushi could hear Hideo's screams of pain and fear. Just as soon as it started, his screams stopped and she turned just in time to see his head fall to the ground._

_The monster was nowhere in sight when Riku and Yuushi moved out of their hiding place._

"_Oh my God!" Yuushi yelled._

"_I think I'm going to throw up." Riku whispered in fear and disgust. He turned around and threw up whatever was left in his empty stomach._

_Yuushi couldn't take her eyes off of Hideo's head that was a few hundred feet away from her. She could see Riku out of the corner of her eye. He was hunched over in dry heaves, shaking in fear. The shock was beginning to fade and she felt hot tears streaming down her face._

End Flashback

Yuushi steadied herself as she slowly slid down the shower wall. Her tears were hotter than the water that touched her knees. She didn't want to remember. Soon, she couldn't hold back the sobs that escaped her. She was rocking back and forth as she screamed and cried.

She barely heard the door slam open and Jiraiya pulling back the shower curtain to make sure she wasn't being attacked. She didn't register that Jiraiya pulled her wet, naked body from the shower and wrapped a towel around her. The sobs didn't stop even as Jiraiya rocked her back and forth, desperately trying to calm her down.

She couldn't hear his voice. All she heard were Hideo's screams echoing in her head.

_If only I had talked him out of walking by himself. He wouldn't have been eaten. I should have stayed with him!_

She felt herself being tucked into bed sheets as the sobs became fiercer. She moved into the fetal position and wrapped her arms around her body. She felt weight on the edge of the bed, figuring that was where Jiraiya sat. Soon, her body became too weak to cry anymore and the sobs turned to whimpers when her tears stopped falling.

"Yuushi, what happened?" Jiraiya's voice demanded.

In a horse whisper she answered, "It was horrible. It chased us. It ate him!" Her eyes were darting around the room as if she feared it would show up again.

Jiraiya stared at her in fear as he heard this new part of the story. His hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"You need to calm down. Try not to think about it. Think about something else. I could read to you if you'd like." Jiraiya said in a soft voice.

Her eyes moved to his. They burned from the salty tears. She nodded and Jiraiya pulled Icha Icha Paradaisu from his bag. She didn't have the energy or the want to protest. He began to read from the beginning and she barely heard any of the words. She only heard the tone of his voice as she slowly faded into sleep.

That night she was plagued by dreams of death and fear. She woke up screaming on more than one occasion and Jiraiya had to calm her down. He stayed with her instead of moving to his own bed in favor of calming her and making sure she was safe from herself. She was much more relaxed with Jiraiya so close, even if he was a pervert.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What am I going to do with you?" The hokage was reading through paperwork and the results of the new genin. "Kakashi, now that you do not have a squad to teach, you'll be made an elite jounin. I'm not putting you on ANBU again, but you will be carrying out high ranked missions until the next graduation. We'll try again next time." The hokage looked up at Kakashi, who was standing respectfully in front of the desk.

"When is my next mission, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Tomorrow morning you will leave on a mission in Waterfall Country. Your mission is here in this scroll. I expect you to read through it tonight." He tossed the scroll to Kakashi. "Now, go home and get some rest."

"Yes, Sir." Kakashi said before leaving the office. He passed two other jounin on his way out, but didn't bother to see exactly who they were.

It had only been yesterday that he failed those three kids. They most definitely not ready. Kakashi never viewed the bell test to be a harsh exam. After all, he went through it, as did his sensei, and his sensei's sensei. If they couldn't figure out what the test was about, then they weren't ready to become ninja.

_Well, I guess I should head back to my apartment and read over the mission scroll. I don't want to look like a fool tomorrow morning, especially since Hokage-sama made me team leader._

Kakashi looked down at the scroll in his hand as he side stepped people in the market place. Just as he was about to take a turn to get to his apartment he bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't…Kakashi?" Came the man's voice.

Kakashi looked up to see who recognized him. He looked on to a boyish face with a familiar scar across the bridge of his nose.

"Hi, Iruka. No need to apologize, I wasn't paying attention." Kakashi said.

"I heard you received a genin team yesterday. How did that go?" Iruka asked with a smile on his face.

"I failed them. They weren't ready." Kakashi said in a bored tone. "You studying for the teacher's exam?" He nodded to the book Iruka held under his arm.

Iruka brought his free hand behind his head and rubbed his neck as he began to blush. "Yeah, I am, but I really nervous. I failed the last time I took the test."

"You'll do fine. You really want this don't you?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka nodded, his face was still red from embarrassment.

"Then you'll pass." Kakashi smiled. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have to go pack for my mission. See you later, Iruka." Kakashi waved behind him as he entered the gate of his apartment complex.

"See you, Kakashi." Iruka said as he walked in the opposite direction.

Kakashi set the scroll on the coffee table before moving to his bedroom to pack a bag for the mission tomorrow. He packed an extra set of his standard issue jounin uniform, his bed roll he reserved for missions, and a blanket. He took his bag into the kitchen and packed some instant ramen.

"I have to remember to throw in a couple of water bottles tomorrow morning." He said to himself. "Might as well read that mission scroll now."

He sat down on the couch and picked up the scroll. Unrolling it, he read from the beginning.

_This official mission requires a three man cell to travel to the eastern border of Waterfall Country. Your mission is to gather information on a trade that is being conducted between Waterfall and Water Country. The trade is to happen on 17 March between Waterfall and Mist ninja. This is a reconnaissance mission. You are only to gather information about how the trade is being conducted, who is present at the trade, and what items are being transported. This is an A ranked mission, reserved for jounin. _

_Payment will be issued to the team members by the hokage upon return from the mission._

"All right, then we have five days until the trade and it takes two days to reach Waterfall Country. That gives us a little more than two days until the trade happens." Kakashi said to himself. "I really should have asked who my teammates are. I guess I'll find out tomorrow."

Kakashi stood up and packed the mission scroll into his bag. He put his shoes back on and walked out the door toward the memorial site. He was surprised that he didn't run into anyone on his way there.

He read the names like always and stopped on the name Uchiha Obito. He stared at it for some time before reading the rest of the names. Six more names had been added to the end of the list in alphabetical order. He read all of them and stopped on the last name written.

_Amato Saiyuri, Domatou Kaito, Domatou Riku, Fujikata Mei, Nakamura Hideo, and Sarutobi Yuushi. I wish I had gone with you, Yuushi. I could have protected you. I want to know what happened. I know your father had something to do with this. Why else would he have sent you on that mission?_

"Kakashi, I thought I would find you here." Kakashi recognized the man's dramatic voice.

Without turning around he said, "Gai. Why did you need to find me?"

"I wanted to speak with you about the mission tomorrow." He said.

At this, Kakashi turned around to look at him. "You'll be going on the mission tomorrow as well?"

"Yes. I wanted to know what the mission entails. The hokage didn't give much information. He only said that you would be the one to inform us." Gai explained.

"Tell me, who is the other teammate? Another man or a kunoichi?" Kakashi asked with interest in his voice.

"It is a three man team. Genma will be joining us." Gai answered.

"I see. What did the hokage tell you about the mission?" Kakashi said in a bored tone.

"He told us we'd be heading for Waterfall Country tomorrow morning, but nothing else." Gai said.

"It's a reconnaissance mission. I'll give you more details in the morning when Genma joins us. For now, I need to get home." Kakashi began to walk away.

Gai's hand reached out and grabbed Kakashi's shoulder. He turned Kakashi to face him.

"I'm sorry that Yuushi had to leave us so soon." Gai spoke in an understanding voice.

"Thank you." Was all Kakashi said as he moved out of Gai's grip and walked back home.

******

The next morning, Kakashi was tardy as usual to meet his team. Genma was just as laid back, so he didn't have much of a problem with his lateness. Gai, on the other hand, was not too happy that they hadn't left on time.

"Kakashi, my rival, you're tardiness has gotten in the way of the mission. You should be more youthful!" Gai spoke dramatically.

"Did you say something?" Kakashi turned toward Gai looking very bored.

Gai's shoulders visibly slouched. His eyes were downcast as well, but that didn't last for long. Less than a minute later, he was back to his eccentric self.

"So what does this mission entail, Kakashi?" Genma asked.

"This is a reconnaissance mission. We are to only gather information; we are not to engage the enemy. There will be a trade being made between Waterfall Country and Water Country on the seventeenth of March. We are to report what items are being transported, how the trade is being conducted, and who is present. Mist ninja will most likely be there since the trade is directed toward Water Country. Since we are leaving today, it takes a little more than two days to reach Waterfall Country, so we should have about three days to gather information. Do you both understand?"

"Hai." Genma said from Kakashi's right side.

"Roger!" Gai said from the left.

"All right, then if it's understood, let's get going." Kakashi said while looking at both of them. "We'll head north through Fire Country, then we'll turn east when we're a few miles from the border. From there we'll only be about two miles from the border to Waterfall Country."

"All right, now that we have a plan, we should leave. We only have approximately ten hours until we'll need to stop." Genma said.

"Let's head out!" Kakashi yelled before all three of them ran out of the gates and jumped into the trees to conceal their movements.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Jiraiya, how much longer?" Yuushi complained.

"Just hang in there. We'll be travelling for another hour or so before we get to the next village." Jiraiya said to her.

Jiraiya heard her whine when she heard they'd be travelling for another hour. He chuckled under his breath. He walked ahead of her to make sure she'd keep up with him. Her wounds were still sore to her, especially the bite on her left side. When they travelled too long it caused her pain. Jiraiya knew this, but there was no way they could stop now. It was only about anther day until they were half way through Waterfall Country.

"Yuushi, how're you're wounds?" Jiraiya asked as he turned around to look at her.

"I'm all right. I'm just exhausted. I wasn't able to sleep much last night." She smiled at Jiraiya, but kept walking past him. "What are we going to do when we reach the eastern border?"

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked with a confused expression.

"What I mean is, are we going to part ways, or will we stay together?" At the end of the question, Yuushi looked away trying to avoid his gaze.

"Oh, well, I was planning on doing what we've been doing, sharing a suite with you. We'd both go about our own business, but return to the same place at night." Jiraiya explained thoughtfully.

At his answer, Yuushi couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face when she looked at him. "I like that idea."

They travelled until they reached the next town where they stopped to rest their feet and to get some food. Jiraiya and Yuushi sat next to each other under the shade of the cherry blossom trees eating the bento boxes they bought.

"Since the sun won't be going down for another two to three hours, we're going to travel a little further when we're done eating. The next town is about an hour and a half away. We'll stay there for the night." Jiraiya said as he finished swallowing a sashimi.

"All right. When we travel tomorrow, how long will it take to get to the border?" Yuushi asked.

"Well, right now we're only about one day from the border. We should make it by sun down if we get an early start." Jiraiya smirked. "So no more of your excuses."

"Yeah, yeah." She said getting annoyed.

Jiraiya noticed that she hadn't made a come back and looked toward her. She was chewing her food, but her face was pointed toward the ground. Her hair framed her face, and hid her eyes. Her shoulders were shaking. Jiraiya had a feeling she was trying to hold back tears, but he couldn't be sure.

"Yuushi, are you all right?" Jiraiya asked cautiously.

Her face snapped up and an uncharacteristic fake smile was plastered there. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay, but if you need anything, just tell me." Jiraiya said as he pulled a notebook from his pack.

She nodded and went back to finishing her meal. She ate very slowly, as not to upset her stomach. She had remembered that gruesome memory of Hideo's death and it turned her stomach. Whenever she thought about what had happened, she received a shooting pain through her torso.

Just as Jiraiya turned away to write some information down, he saw Yuushi grab her side and her face twist in agony. The chopsticks fell from her hands and her breathing became labored.

"Hey, hey, are you okay?" Jiraiya asked as he dropped his notebook and kneeled in front of her.

She nodded, but there were tears in her eyes. "Jiraiya… could you…get my pain k-killers. They're in…my bag." She said between pants.

"Sure." Jiraiya turned toward her bag and started to rifle through it. The pills were sitting right on top in the main compartment of her pack. He slipped two out of the bottle and put them in her hand. He handed her the water bottle that was next to her. She took both pills and her breathing began to become steadier. She was breathing heavily through her nose.

Her body relaxed after about ten minutes and her breathing was normal again. Jiraiya sat in front of her the entire time trying to monitor her.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked cautiously.

"Yeah. Thank you." Yuushi looked up at him and gave a weak smile. I just need to sit here a little long until the pain subsides some more."

Jiraiya nodded and moved away from her to sit in his original spot. He picked up his notebook again and started to write a new entry. He watched her from the corner of his eye. She picked up her chopsticks again and finished eating. She still had half a bento box left when she packed it way in her pack.

"I can't eat anymore. I'll just save it for later." She explained. "Are you ready? It won't be long before the sun begins to set." Yuushi stood up with her pack already strapped to her back and waited for Jiraiya to stand as well.

He watched her the entire time he packed up and stood in front of her. "Why the rush?"

"I just don't want to stay here anymore." She explained avoiding his eyes.

"All right, let's head that way" he pointed toward the gates on their right. "And we'll continue following that road. It will bring us straight into the next village by nightfall."

She nodded and made her way toward the gates with Jiraiya following behind. She could feel his eyes boring into her back.

"Is there a reason you're staring at me, Jiraiya?" Yuushi asked as she turned her head half way around.

"I'm just wondering why that bite on your side hasn't fully healed." His eyes travelled to her left side.

"Tsunade told me that the venom was preventing a full recovery and that it may never heal fully and that it most definitely will not heal correctly." Her eyes were pointed ahead of her, but she turned back again. She noticed Jiraiya was right next to her now. "Every time I think about what happened during those two days, or I feel the rush of emotions, I get a sharp pain that starts in the wound and slowly travels to the rest of my body. It's almost like it paralyzes me."

"I see. Did you tell Tsunade about that?" Jiraiya asked.

She nodded and then sighed. "I just wish things hadn't turned out this way." She turned away before she spoke again. "I've considered writing to Kakashi, but I'm sure everyone will think I'm dead. Tsunade told me she wouldn't be able to send a hawk with the information that I was alive, and you're with me. Kakashi wouldn't believe the letter."

Jiraiya's hand found its way to her shoulder. "It will all work out when you finally go home."

"It could take years until I head home. This mission was designed for six shinobi." Yuushi explained her eyes downcast. "I'm going to have a lot to explain when I finally return to Konoha." A sad smile crossed her features as she turned toward Jiraiya. "I miss him."

"Who? One of your teammates?" Jiraiya asked a little confused.

She shook her head. "Well, yes, I miss them all, but I was referring to Kakashi. I miss him very much." Her smile faded and a frown began to form.

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, everything will work out just fine." Jiraiya smiled again and faced forward.

They finished their journey to the next town in silence. They found an inn that wasn't full and settled in for the night. Yuushi sat on the bed and pulled her bento box out of her bad.

"Are you really going to eat that?" Jiraiya asked with a disgusted face.

"Yes." Yuushi laughed. "It's been in the shade of my pack and it's only been a little past an hour and a half since we left the last village."

"Well, if you get sick, I'm not taking care of you." Jiraiya said before going into the bathroom to take a shower.

Yuushi laughed again as she took a bite out of a sashimi. Surprisingly enough it was still cool and it still tasted fresh. She smirked.

_Ha! That proves him wrong!_

She turned the television set on and found a news station. As usual it was all pretty much depressing. Even in another country, all they ever showed were the stories filled with disaster and pain.

She finished the rest of her 'dinner' and got comfortable in clothes other than her uniform. She lay under the bed sheets and continued to watch television until she fell asleep. She dreamed about Kakashi that night and her memories of him.

_She was six years old again. The Third Great Ninja War had just ended. Many ninja hadn't come home from the war and she knew the ones that did come home grieved for the loss of their teammates, friends, and family. One such person was Kakashi. He had lost his best friend and teammate, Uchiha Obito._

_She had just been released from class at the academy. She felt like practicing her ninjutsu and her taijutsu, so she made her way toward one of the training grounds. It had been raining on and off all day. The ground was soft and wet, but that didn't stop her._

_On her way there, she got side tracked. She saw a boy standing in front of the memorial. He head bowed in respect and his shoulders slouched in defeat. She recognized him. His silver hair was messy and stuck straight up. Something compelled her to walk over to him. _

_Slowly, she mad her way over to the grieving boy. He was six years her senior and had carried out one of the most dangerous missions in his young age. He was already a jounin, and she was in awe of him. Before she knew it, she was standing right behind him._

_She saw him tense as he felt her presence. His shoulders became straight again and his head snapped up._

"_Hi." Yuushi said quietly. It started to rain again._

"_What are you doing here?" Kakashi's voice asked. He was distant and he sounded like he was putting up a front to hide his pain from her. Kakashi's hair became heavy from the rain as it began to lose its usual perkiness._

"_I was going to train, but then I noticed you standing here." She said staring at his back. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."_

_When he heard this, he turned around quickly. The first thing she noticed was his eyes. They were bloodshot and the part of his cheeks that were visible was also red. He looked surprised at what she had said._

"_You really want to know how I'm doing?" He asked. His eyes became fierce. "It's my fault that Obito is dead. I feel guilty and it should have been me." His voice tapered off at the end._

_She shook her head. "I don't understand the pain of death, but I know you shouldn't feel that it was your fault." She offered a small smile. "I miss Obito, too. He was always nice to me."_

_Kakashi turned away from her and stared at the name carved into the rock for a bit longer._

"_I don't want your sympathy." Kakashi said scathingly. "I don't want others to pity me!"_

_Yuushi looked at him with a confused expression. "I don't understand. You're always alone. I just wanted to-" _

"_You just wanted to what? Rub it in some more that I'm alone, that I don't have parents! That I just lost my best friend!" Kakashi was furious. "Get out of here! You don't belong here. You're not grieving." He gave her the cold shoulder._

_She didn't understand why he wished to be alone. She liked being around the people in the village, her classmates, her family. She reached out to touch his arm. She didn't see it coming. He turned around so fast and pushed her way from him. She landed in the mud behind her. The rain was coming down hard now. Her face grew hot with embarrassment and fear. She had never been thrown like that before. Hot tears formed at the corners of her eyes._

"_Leave me alone! Go home!" Kakashi's voice was low and menacing._

_Yuushi got the message. She got up, tears streaming down her face. She turned and ran. She wanted to be as far away from him as she could be._

Yuushi woke up. Her nose felt congested and her eyes were wet. She touched her fingers to her cheek and felt fresh tears.

_I must have been crying in my sleep._

She noticed the television had been turned off and she saw a large silhouette breathing deeply on the other bed. Jiraiya seemed to be in a deep sleep.

She walked to the bathroom to get some tissues. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose before looking in the mirror. Her eyes were blood shot and her nose was now red. Her hair was disheveled.

_I look like a really mess. I must miss him more than I thought. That wasn't the fondest of my memories of him, but it's our past. We didn't become friends until I became a chunin when I was ten. He was sixteen and he finally noticed me. I remember him being at the chunin exams. He complimented me on my tactical skills and my ninjutsu._

She smiled at the last thought, but soon she felt fresh tears form in her eyes. More tears came and she couldn't stop the flood of emotions. She was trying to be quiet. She didn't want Jiraiya to here her. Her legs became unstable and she lowered herself to the floor. She sat with her back against the bath tub. She chocked back her sobs as she rocked back and forth.

"I miss you so much. I love you, Kakashi. I love you. I love you. I love you." She chanted this for a while until she finally became exhausted. Her tears stopped falling from her dry, red eyes. She stood up slowly and rinsed her face with cool water.

She left the bathroom turning off the light as she made her way toward her bed. She was so exhausted from their travels and from her 'episode' in the bathroom for the last half hour. When her head hit the pillow she was out. She slept dreamlessly the rest of the night.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Note: **Please review. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the story.


	6. Chapter 6: Waterfall Country

Chapter 6: The Eastern Border of Waterfall Country

Kakashi and his team reached their destination in the exact time that he expected. They made it to the eastern border of the country by sunset on their second day of travel. They checked into an inn and decided it would be best for them to get some sleep.

Kakashi walked onto the patio at the back of their suite. The sky was a deep blue and the stars were so bright. The light from the full moon shone on the wood under his feet. A warm breeze swept past. It carried the scent of wild berries and fresh water from the waterfalls that surrounded the village. He breathed in the scent and closed his eyes taking in the beauty of his surroundings.

Flashback

_Kakashi sat on the edge of the riverbank. It was summer and the petals of the cherry blossom trees were just beginning to fall. _

_He had finished training for the night, but he hadn't wanted to head home. The stars were bright and the moon was full._

"_Tonight is a beautiful night." He said as he lay back in the grass. His feet dangled in the cool water as the warm breeze ruffled his hair and the grass around him._

"_Yes it is." A woman's voice said from behind him._

_He sat up on his elbows and turned to face her. Yuushi stood behind him. She was wearing a new uniform, black shorts with a red tank top. Her shoulder length hair swung in the breeze._

_Kakashi smiled under his mask at her and patted a place on the ground next to him. She walked forward and sat next to him. She slipped her feet in the water and lay down on her back staring at the sky the same way he was._

_He heard her sigh next to him. He turned his head and saw she had her eyes closed._

"_Is something wrong?" He asked._

_Her eyes opened and she turned her head to face him as well. "No, nothing's wrong. I love summer time, the warm breeze and the smell of cherry blossoms in the air." A smile crept onto her face._

_He stared into her eyes, completely content with the world at the moment. He broke eye contact when he felt her hand touch his. He looked down and wrapped his fingers around hers._

_When he looked up he noticed that a light blush graced her cheeks. She looked back at his eyes and he smiled at her under his mask again._

_Another breeze came through the field and he caught her scent. She smelled sweet, like berries. He breathed deeply and her scent mixed with the fresh water at his feet. He felt a warmth start at his chest and flow to the rest of his body when he looked into her eyes again._

_He let his hand slide up her arm and snake under her neck. He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his shoulder._

"_I don't want this to end." He heard her whisper with a hint of a smile in her voice._

"_Then, I won't let it end." He whispered back and placed a kiss on her forehead._

End Flashback

Kakashi's eyes opened as he exhaled deeply. He looked up at the sky again, staring at the bright stars.

"It was a night just like this one." He murmured.

He breathed deeply again just to take in the intoxicating scent one more time. As the smell reached his nose, he saw a shooting star fly across the night sky.

_I wish Yuushi would come back to me._

He sighed deeply as he shut the door behind him and walked to his mat. He lay down and fell asleep quickly, her scent still in his nose.

******************

Gai was the first one to wake up. He left to train in the grassy area behind the inn. Once Kakashi woke up, he woke up Genma.

Genma was not a morning person and as a result, Kakashi nearly ended up with a broken nose when he swung his arm out after Kakashi shook his shoulder. Kakashi changed quickly and left to find Gai.

He walked up to the tall man who was currently on seven hundred eighty three, of his push ups.

"When you're done, we're meeting in the common room to discuss our duties." Kakashi told him in a bored tone.

Kakashi only had to wait a few minutes until Gai strolled into the common room.

"Good, now we can start." Kakashi stated. He heard a grunt and looked to his left where Genma was still holding his pillow, nearly falling asleep again. Kakashi slid his foot across the floor and pushed Genma over.

The man was up in a second yelling, "What the hell was that for you lazy bastard?"

"Well you're awake now. How am I the lazy bastard?" Kakashi said.

"What are our duties today, Kakashi?" Gai asked.

"Today, I want to scout the area. Find all the back roads and alley ways that deals could be made in. Listen for any suspicious conversation. Our best chances to gather information are going to be during the times that most civilians are in their homes or eating, so they cannot be overheard." He explained.

"All right, so when should we meet back here?" Genma asked.

"Let's meet back here at sunset. That should give us enough time to gather some decent information." Kakashi answered. "So let's move out."

At his words, Genma and Gai disappeared. Kakashi left the inn and made his way to an alley he had seen the night before. He noticed there was a stone wall at the end of it and passed it by just as quickly as he had considered it.

He wandered around the city in search of decent meeting areas, hidden places, and muffled walls. When he wandered out of the central area of the village, he found a few sketchy alleyways that led to stairways with closed doors at the bottom. He made a note of this as he walked down one such stairway to find out how well the doors muffled the sounds from the alleyway.

When he placed his ear on the door below the boarded up window he heard two voices. They were both male.

"What do you mean 'it's heading this way?'" The first man asked. His voice was deep and gruff with age.

"It was just a rumor I heard on the road here." The second man said with a fearful tone. He sounded much younger.

"Well if that thing comes this way, we're all screwed!" The first man again.

"Iwagakure really does have problems. They don't have any allying countries and now they're attacked by a hideous monster." The younger man explained. "I heard there were ninja from all over the world that went to their aid. Most of them died, though. I heard there were leaf ninja there, too."

"Leaf ninja? That's impossible, Jiro. They are on such bad terms with Rock Country." The elder was disbelieving.

"I heard a rumor that two of the legendary sannin aided in the battle against the monster as well." Jiro said.

"Yes, and that's all it was, a rumor." The elder man said. A chair screeched against the floor as he stood up.

Kakashi backed away from the door and quietly left the alleyway. He was amazed by what he had just heard.

_Jiraiya and Tsunade were there, too. Well, that's interesting. The next time I see Jiraiya I'll have to ask him about it, see if it's true._

He made his way back into town where he found a few more key spots for meeting places. Kakashi walked aimlessly as he remembered what he heard in the alleyway. When he raised his head, he saw a familiar tall, white haired ninja. The ninja turned around and he saw that it was indeed, Jiraiya.

Kakashi ran quickly toward him as he turned to walk further down the road.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi yelled. He noticed the man paused and turned his head behind him. The man's eyes became wide when he noticed that it was Kakashi who was calling his name.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here? Are you on a mission?" Jiraiya asked clapping him on the back.

"I am, but I never thought I'd see you here. What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm searching for Orochimaru. I heard that he had been spotted not far from here." Jiraiya answered. He noticed Kakashi's hesitation and asked, "Is there something else?"

"Well, yes. I heard a rumor that you were in Iwagakure during the time of the accident. I just wanted to know, is that true?" Kakashi asked.

"Why don't we go somewhere more private?" Jiraiya said getting an idea of where this conversation was going.

Kakashi nodded before Jiraiya led him to the inn he was staying at. Kakashi noticed that it happened to be the same one he and his teammates were staying at. Jiraiya led him to the room he was staying in before uttering another word.

"What is it you want to know Kakashi?" Jiraiya turned around to face him.

"What happened in Iwagakure?" Kakashi was all business now.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yuushi awoke well rested for the first time in three months. She dressed and left her bedroom. She walked to the common room and found Jiraiya was writing in his notebook again.

"Did you find out more information on Orochimaru already?" She asked him. She heard him giggle.

"No, this is research." Jiraiya said with a perverted smirk on his face.

Yuushi stood behind Jiraiya and followed his gaze. Across the way, a woman was dressing and she appeared to be oblivious that her window was wide open. Yuushi rolled her eyes.

"You're disgusting." She said and smacked him upside the head. She made her way to the front door.

As she opened it Jiraiya asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get something to eat and then I will start my mission." She said matter of factly. She stepped over the threshold and waved goodbye before closing the door.

It was still pretty early, so not many people were moving about at the inn. She walked down the road and found a small market where she bought something to eat. While she ate she read over the mission scroll again.

_This part of the mission is only reconnaissance. Waterfall Country has been making a few deals with our surrounding countries, and this one has come to our attention. We received information that a year from now on 18 March, there will be a trade made between Waterfall Country and Wind Country, specifically Sunagakure. Your mission is to scout the area and recover information regarding the trade; find who is present at the trade and what items are being traded._

"Okay, I guess I'll scout out the area today. I'll find the best areas where this trade will happen." She whispered to herself as she walked down the street.

She made her way toward the center of town to check out the area. On her way she ran into Jiraiya.

"You ran out of the room pretty quickly this morning, what's going on?" He asked.

"I just wanted to get a start on my mission. I'll only need to be here for a few days, but the next part of the mission doesn't start for another month or so." She explained. "Have you found any leads on Orochimaru, yet?"

"Not yet. Some of the shop keepers have mentioned that they've seen a man with a similar description, but no clear leads." He answered. "How's your mission going?"

"I've scouted the area, but that's really all I can do for now. I'll have to listen in on conversations and be on my guard at all times until the eighteenth." She told him.

"Why the eighteenth?"

"That's when the deal is going to be made between Waterfall and Sand. Listen, I need to finish up some things, and we shouldn't be talking in the open like this. I see you back at the inn later tonight." She turned around and walked the opposite way Jiraiya was going. She was nearly five hundred feet from him when she heard someone call out Jiraiya's name. She turned around to see who was trying to get Jiraiya's attention, but there were too many people. She was sure that the voice was a familiar one, but she couldn't be sure. Jiraiya travelled everywhere and met many people, it could have been anyone.

Yuushi was near the inn when she heard a familiar dramatic voice.

"You're still a young man, you should be proud of your precious youth!" The man said to a gangly teenage boy.

"Gai?" Yuushi asked.

He turned around and his eyes visibly widened as he caught sight of her.

"Yuushi-chan? But how?" Gai asked in a whisper.

"What are you doing here?" She asked back as she walked toward the tall man. He hugged her and then pulled back to stare at her face.

"I don't understand? Everyone thinks you're dead. How can you be alive?" He asked.

"This isn't the best place to talk; maybe we could go somewhere more private."

"I want to hear your entire story. I'm staying at the inn across the street; we can talk in my room." He put his hand on he back to guide her across the street. She followed Gai into the suite where he sat in one of the chairs in the common room and motioned for her to do the same.

"Tell me, what happened? Why does everyone think you're dead when clearly, you are not." Gai asked. He waited for her to continue.

"My story is a long one." She answered in an uncertain tone.

"We have time." He smiled at her.


	7. Chapter 7: Jiraiya's Tale

Chapter 7: Jiraiya's Tale

"Tell me everything. I want to know all of it." Kakashi demanded.

"All right, I'll start at the beginning." Jiraiya said a bit startled by the fierceness in the man's voice. "All I know from the very start is that she was snooping in her father's office, the hokage's office."

At this, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He had barely heard any of the story and was already interested in what she had been doing.

"She was caught. The elders found her there. From the way I heard it, she came across something that could compromise the third's power in Konoha. I never found out what it was that she found. It was only a week after that incident that she was sent on this mission. My guess is that the elders added her name to the mission roster at the last minute to get her out of the village.

"When she left, she was with five other ninja. Amato Saiyuri, Domatou Kaito, Domatou Riku, Fujikata Mei, and Nakamura Hideo were all with her. Do you remember any of those names from previous years or reports, Kakashi?" Jiraiya paused to wait for Kakashi's answer.

"The only names I ever recognized were the brothers, Domatou Kaito and Domatou Riku. I don't know the other three. I only remember that the brothers were a duo in crime. They performed a lot of robberies, but there was nothing too serious on their record." Kakashi answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I wanted to know how much you knew about her partners. All of them had crimes against Konoha written in their files. Fujikata Mei was once considered a spy for Lightening Country. She was working against Konoha and passing secrets along. Amato Saiyuri was merciless as a ninja. She killed every captive or enemy she came in contact with even if she was order not to. One of her kills cost Konoha dearly when she killed a very powerful man while in Grass Country about six years ago. Nakamura Hideo was found to be a double agent working for an underground organization. The Domatou brothers were not just robbers. They were caught robbing the third hokage.

"Now, think about the information I have just given you. What did every person in that team have in common, including Yuushi-chan?" Jiraiya studied Kakashi's face as he processed the information.

_What did they have in common? Yuushi: caught in the hokage's office, Hideo: double agent working against the hokage, Saiyuri: cost the hokage and Konoha to lose relations with Grass Country for years, Mei: passed secrets to Lightening Country, and the Domatou brothers: robbed the hokage._ It finally clicked.

"They all were accused of crimes against the hokage or Konoha." Kakashi said in an awed voice.

"Exactly!" Jiraiya smiled. "I know you're wondering why. At first, I thought it was just to send them away from the village, but I've been rethinking that theory."

"Why are you rethinking it?" Kakashi asked.

"I f you really think about it, all of them were sent on a dangerous and very long mission, and to Iwagakure no less, then they were all reported dead after a disastrous attack. I've recently been considering that they were sent there on purpose. Why send so many ninja that have one thing in common to the very place that Konoha has no relations with?" Jiraiya explained.

"You think they were sent away to be eliminated?" Kakashi looked Jiraiya square in the face so the older man had to answer him.

"Yes, that is what I believe. There is nothing that says otherwise." Jiraiya sighed. "Now that that's cleared up, I'll get back to the story.

"Yuushi ventured to Iwagakure during the first week. Her team arrived about five days after leaving Konoha and began to carry out their duties. There was civil war going on at the time. Rock Country is still a very barbaric place. It was only about three months ago when everything went wrong.

"I was in Sunagakure when I heard of the attacks in Iwagakure. A monster had attacked. The rumors claimed that this monster rivaled a bijuu's power and destruction. It was only hours after the news came that casualties were being reported and many of the injured were being brought to Suna for immediate medical attention. Some of the patients' eyes were wide with fear. Others were in so much pain from their injuries that they were screaming in agony. It was complete chaos." Jiraiya sighed. There was a troubled look in his eyes.

"When did you know there were Leaf ninja in the middle of Rock Country?" Kakashi asked noticing the look in Jiraiya's eyes.

"Tsunade was in Suna as well and began tending to the injured. It wasn't until she was tending to a Mist ninja that I overheard crucial information. The ninja recognized Tsunade's forehead protector and told her that there were Leaf ninja fighting in Iwagakure against the monster and other Rock ninja.

"I remembered crossing paths with one of Yuushi's teammates before they reached Rock Country. When I asked where she was headed, she said that her and her team were going to Iwagakure to complete a mission and that the third hokage's daughter was with them. It was then that I put two and two together. I pulled Tsunade way from the man and told her what I knew. I told her I was going to leave for Iwagakure as soon as possible to search for the Leaf ninja that had been deployed there. I was going to search for Yuushi. Tsunade told Shizune-san to stay with the injured while she left with me." Jiraiya took a deep breath. He was readying himself for retelling the most emotional part of his story.

Kakashi was quiet as he listened intently to Jiraiya's story. He sat very still taking in everything. He was trying to read Jiraiya's movements to understand what had him so tense, but realized he would soon find out as Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak again.

"It didn't take long for me and Tsunade to make it to Iwagakure. There were other ninja with us, Sand ninja. When we entered the gates to the village, there was no one in sight, unless you count the numerous dismembered bodies. The destruction was present was everywhere. Buildings were unrecognizable, there was fire burning the ground, and there were dead bodies everywhere, Rock ninja and various other ninja from other countries.

"There was no sight of the monster and I never did get to see it. I am grateful for that. I heard the monster's roar, it was deep and ferocious. It sent chills down my spine. We split into two groups to search for survivors. I ran into a group of four Rock ninja and asked if they had seen any Leaf ninja. All of them had the same response, 'There are no Leaf ninja here.' Every time I heard that, I left quickly to search some more." Jiraiya paused to sort his thoughts.

"I don't know how far into the country I was, but it seemed that the destruction was worse than before as I kept searching. I found an area where water used to run through. The bridge had collapsed. I air was hot from all the fire and I heard the monster in the distance. As I made my way to the broken bridge, I found Hideo, or what was left of him. His head was on the ground, his eyes were wide in fear and his mouth was open.

"Three groups of Rock ninja converged on me. They recognized me pretty quickly, though. I spoke to one of the ninja and asked if he had seen Yuushi. I had given him her description and for the first time, someone had seen her and two of her teammates. He told me they had been running toward the Heaven and Earth Bridge. As I ran in the direction of the bridge I noticed a hand sticking out of the rubble of the broken bridge. I thought it was just another casualty.

"When I found no signs of them ever heading toward the Heaven and Earth Bridge, I made my way back to where I spoke to those Rock ninja. I went directly to the rubble and started to carefully move away the rocks. It was then that I noticed the ninja was wearing a red shirt. When the stones were loose enough, I pulled the body out and turned it over. It was Yuushi. I checked her vital signs and found that she was still breathing, though it was not strong. She was completely beat up. She had a deep bite in her left side and there was hole through the left side of her chest. She was losing blood very fast. I called for someone to find Tsunade." Jiraiya stopped talking and looked in Kakashi's direction.

Kakashi realized that he had stopped breathing. He exhaled and began to breathe normally before looking back at Jiraiya.

"But she died before Tsunade-sama could get to you." Kakashi spoke.

Jiraiya shook his head. "There is something you need to understand, Kakashi. No one has been in contact with Konoha, for all they know, there were no survivors from the Leaf Village."

Kakashi's eyes widened. He didn't want to ask any questions right now, Jiraiya was about to speak again.

"She's alive, Kakashi. Yuushi survived." Jiraiya smiled.


	8. Chapter 8: Yuushi's Story

Chapter 8: Yuushi's Story

"Please, tell me, Yuushi-chan. How are you alive?" Gai asked puzzled.

"Well, my story begins well over a year ago. I had just gone to speak with my father. I wasn't very happy with what he had told me." She smiled. "I can't even remember what it was. I left his office, but stayed in the building until he left. I picked the lock and began to search through files. About fifteen minutes later, I found something that could compromise the third hokage's power. Before I could act on anything that came to mind, the elders found me. ANBU black ops converged on me. I was taken to interrogation." She took a breath while she gauged Gai's reaction. He was listening intently and she was surprised he hadn't interrupted yet.

"After I was interrogated, the elders informed me that I would be sent on a mission with five other shinobi. I was also informed that they had all been recently released from Konoha's prison. I can't even tell you how terrified I was after hearing that last part." She stopped again and looked at Gai. "Do you have any questions? You look a little confused."

"I do have a few questions. Why were there only criminals sent on the mission, aside from yourself?" He asked in a thoughtful voice as if he were asking himself.

"I'll get to that part. I found out later on, why I was sent with them and why they were all criminals." Yuushi explained. "Like I said, I was in interrogation and I was told that I would be sent on the mission. Basically, the elders saw me as a criminal because I had information that could compromise the leaf village and they wanted to get rid of me before I could use it."

"What was this information?" Gai asked.

"I'm sorry, Gai, but I can't tell you that." Yuushi said looking down. "Anyway, about a week later, I left with my teammates. I found that even though they were all criminals and had all served time at the prison, they were efficient in what they did. I found that I worked well with them. I formed friendships with the majority my teammates. We reached Iwagakure about a week after we left Konoha. We carried out our duties for the next ten months.

"Everything was going fine. None of the rock ninja had found out that we were working as Leaf ninja. We had been on edge for quite a while, just waiting for someone to find out and have us killed."

"But you were to be killed, I don't understand." Gai said. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of her words.

"Death came do the country, but it was not meant for us. What came was a military project that the Tsuchikage had his best scientists working on. My team and I didn't see it for hours after it had entered the village. Our first signs of the monster were the tremors and quakes in the ground. We left the building we were in to see where the tremors had come from after they stopped. When the dust settled, buildings were completely gone. They had been knocked down. The village from what we could see was a complete mess. I didn't get a good look at the creature at the time, but I knew it was huge if it could do that much damage." Yuushi took in a deep breath, recalling the next part of the story.

"We decided that we need to get as far away from the village as possible. We made our way south, but when we got to the gates, the guards weren't letting anyone through. They claimed tat it was to keep the beast inside the city. There was a massive block of people and it lead the monster straight to us. No one could see it until one huge claw rose out of the ground and swiped at a group of people. Unfortunately, Kaito was in the thick of it and was sliced nearly in half. His death was quick, but we were down one member. We traveled into the sewers where we could find safety for a little while. Riku was devastated by the death of his brother. We had to get ourselves together."

"How long did the whole thing last?" Gai asked.

"It started around 10pm and lasted until about 7am the next morning, so about nine hours. It was nine hours of complete terror. When we calmed down we travelled through the sewer system. We had been going in circles for about an hour when Hideo said he heard something. We pushed it off as nothing because we could hear anything when we stopped walking. We should have listed to what he said. Out of the dark, this ugly, gray thing jumped out and latched itself onto Mei's shoulder. It was complete chaos. About eight more of the little monsters attacked and we grabbed anything we had on us or anything on the ground to protect ourselves. These things had razor sharp teeth and claws that sunk deep into the skin. Hideo got the one off of Mei before we found a way out of the sewer, but as we climbed onto ground level, one of the little monsters sunk its teeth into my left side."

"What?!" Gai yelled.

"We didn't know at the time that they had poisonous venom in their fangs. I had a mild anti-toxin with me, but only enough for one person. I was selfish and gave it to myself. We stumbled toward search lights in hope of finding medical help for me and Mei. When we got there, the jounin in charge told us that they were evacuating everyone and that the last safety helicopter to leave the area would be at 5:30am. He led us across the base, but we noticed that Mei was lagging behind. Her face at turned a yellowish color and her nose was bleeding profusely. She started to sway and Hideo caught her under the arm before she fell. She said that she didn't feel well. Seconds after she spoke she began to cough up blood. A medical ninja came to claim her and when she saw the bite on Mei's shoulder, she started to have a fit. She called for reinforcements and they took Mei away. Mei was howling in pain as they dragged her away to a medical tent. Mei began yelling about her stomach hurting as blood still dripped from her mouth. They got her in the tent. One minute we thought maybe they could help her, but a second later, the tent walls were covered in her blood." Yuushi had become choked up at the last part. Hot tears leaked out the corners of her eyes.

Gai moved closer to Yuushi and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face against his chest and tried to calm down.

"It was terrifying and disgusting. When the jounin saw our reactions he told us that it was over, that she was dead and there was nothing we could do." Yuushi pulled her head away from Gai when her breathing was in control.

"The jounin told us directions of how to get to the dock where the safety helicopter would be leaving from. We were half way to the dock when we got caught up. There was an enormous building blocking our way and there was no way we could find an alternate route. We only had an hour left. We went inside the building. It was knocked over, but leaning on a smaller building that we could come out of and get to the dock. We climbed the stairs to the thirty-third floor and went out to one of the balconies to cross to the other building. We got to the other side, where we could cross from building to building through the windows in one of the rooms of the knocked over building. The walls were all ripped up and there were rebar sticking out at all angles. The monster was very close to where we were at the time. It was making its way toward the fire bombs and exploding tags that had been laid as traps and it shook the building. We had a hard time keeping our balance and I lost mine. I fell backwards and onto a rebar. It was one of the most painful injuries I've ever accumulated." Yuushi clutched her chest where the rebar had gone through.

Gai sat quietly listening to her story. His eyes were pointed at her in concentration.

"Saiyuri, Hideo, and Riku had to lift me carefully off the rebar. I was terrified of the pain it would bring, but I had a greater fear of being left alone to die. They grabbed my legs and arms and lifted me quickly and carefully. Riku ripped a piece of his shirt and put one piece on the front part of the wound and another on the back part of the wound. My teammates waited until I was sure I could bear through the pain and get to the dock with them. We reached the smaller building and got down the stairs as quickly as we could together." Yuushi paused to look at Gai. He was staring at her in a way he never had before.

"You don't have to finish your story if it's too difficult for you." Gai told her.

"No, no, it's all right. I'm almost finished." Yuushi smiled at him and continued with her story.

"We ran toward the dock to find that we were the last group to be evacuated. It was 5am and Saiyuri was placed on one helicopter, while the rest of us waited. We were separated completely now. It was then tat I got a good look at the monster. It was coming closer. It was huge and it had thick wrinkled gray skin and iron claws. It had a long snout that sniffed out its prey and long fangs coming out of its mouth over the bottom part of its jaw. The helicopter came and Riku, Hideo, and I all got in. We were the last ones. We were pretty high up, but we weren't high enough. The monster stood on its hind legs and swiped at the helicopter. The blades broke and the aircraft was spinning toward the ground. We crashed and everything went dark. When I gained consciousness again, the sky was light and I was stuck under Riku in the helicopter. Riku and Hideo woke up and we all got out of the smashed aircraft. Hideo's leg was broken from the crash, but that was the extent of our injuries. We ran as fast as we could toward the Heaven and Earth Bridge knowing it wasn't far, but Rock ninja began to attack us. When they stopped tailing us, we knew something was wrong.

"We turned around and the monster was standing so close to us. It was enormous and so terrifying. Riku pulled me out of the way toward a broken bridge, but Hideo didn't make it. The monster sniffed him out and well…" She stopped feeling a lump in her throat. I wanted to throw up, and Riku did. We stayed under the bridge until we knew the monster was gone and we ran to where Hideo had been. All that was left was his head."

Gai noticed how Yuushi turned a light shade of green and tears silently fell down her cheeks.

"When we noticed the Rock ninja again, we ran back to our hiding place. We didn't have a chance to get to the Heaven and Earth Bridge. We were there for about half an hour before we heard a massive boom in the distance. I wasn't sure what was going on, but Riku jumped on top of me as the rest of the bridge collapsed and heavy dust covered the air. I started to lose consciousness and I felt weak from the blood loss. I knew it was the end for me. I was going in and out of coherent thought when I heard a familiar voice. I couldn't place it, but I knew that I knew him. It felt like an entire day had passed by the time he found me."

"Who found you Yuushi?" Gai asked.

"Jiraiya found me and he called for Tsunade-sama. They treated me right away. I was taken to Sunagakure to be treated further. I stayed there for medical attention for three months. After that I travelled with Jiraiya, and that's how I got here." Yuushi finished.

"I can't believe all of this. You have a strong will, Yuushi-chan! Your determination to survive is incredible." Gai praised her.

"It's not really that great." She answered him while waving her hand. "There's something I'd like to ask you, Gai."

"Ask me anything."

"How is Kakashi? Is he all right?" Yuushi's eyes were downcast.

"Oh, he's been okay. He doesn't confide in me very often. He's on this mission with me. He's here somewhere in the village." Gai said with a smile.

"What?" Yuushi's head snapped up. "Do you know when he'll be back? I need to see him!"

"We're supposed to meet back here at sunset, but that's still some time away." Gai answered looking wary.

"I'm going to look for him. I need to see him now." Yuushi got up from the floor and ran to the door. She wrenched it open and ran out of the room toward the suite she shared with Jiraiya. As she turned hard around the corner she ran into something hard in front of her.

She looked up ready to yell at whoever was in her way. Her voice caught in her throat and all she managed was a whisper, "Kakashi?"


	9. Chapter 9: Reunited

**Recap: **_She looked up ready to yell at whoever was in her way. Her voice caught in her throat and all she managed was a whisper, "Kakashi?"_

Chapter 9: Reunited

Kakashi thought his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. There she was, sitting on the floor in front of him. He had worried about her for so long, and there she was standing parallel to him looking healthy as ever.

"Yuushi?" It was barely audible, but she heard him.

"Yes, it's me." She said in awe. "Oh, Kakashi, I've missed you so much!" She yelled as she dove at him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She breathed deeply trying to take all of his scent in.

Kakashi's arms hugged her tight as he rested his head on her shoulder. His thumbs moved on their own rubbing circles in her back.

"I finally found you." Kakashi whispered into her shoulder. "I want to know everything."

"Ask, Gai." She said with a chuckle.

Kakashi backed away and gave her a confused look.

She smirked and said, "I already told him the whole story, and I don't feel like telling the story again for a very long time."

Kakashi nodded silently as his hand reached toward her face. Her cheek relaxed in his hand and he felt a hot wetness touch his palm. He looked at Yuushi's face. Her eyes were closed, but one tear had escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Footsteps became louder as they stood there in their own little world. Yuushi's eyes popped open and they pulled apart as Gai ran around the corner.

"There you are." Gai said to Yuushi. "Oh, Kakashi, I didn't know you were here."

Kakashi turned to Gai giving him a look that said 'you've got to be kidding me.'

"Yuushi was just telling me about what happened to her. I told her you were with me and she ran out of the room. I didn't think she'd run into you so soon." Gai explained.

"Sure." Kakashi said slowly. "Yuushi, would you take a walk with me?"

"Yeah, okay." She replied. They walked toward the exit, Kakashi's hand pressing into the small of her back.

The two left the inn together and walked in silence across town. Yuushi was apprehensive, being able to feel the anxiousness coming off Kakashi. He led her to a place he had discovered while he was appraising the area. It was a small area surrounded by Sakura trees, which were in full bloom. The sweet scent of the cherry blossoms saturated the air. A small pond was in the middle of the meadow. A light breeze pushed along the water creating ripples in the clear blue surface.

Kakashi studied her movements. He watched her as she looked over every part of the meadow, taking it all in. He saw he chest move far away from her body as she inhaled deeply. Her eyes closed for a moment as she continued to smell the air. She turned her face toward Kakashi and opened her eyes. Their eyes met.

Kakashi was the first to move. His left hand pulled down his mask while his right hand pulled her into his body. Their lips crashed together in fury. All of their emotions bled into the kiss. Through lips alone Kakashi told her how much he had missed her, how much he had worried about her, how much he loved her. Yuushi told him how scared she had been, how much she had wanted him by her side, how she would always love him no matter what happened.

They pulled away from each other to catch their breath. Kakashi leaned his forehead against hers. Their forehead protectors met with the sound of crashing metal.

Yuushi chuckled, "Well that really killed the mood."

Kakashi chuckled. "I don't care what happened to you, I don't need to know. I just want to know that you won't ever do that to me again. Will you promise me that?"

"I can't promise you anything." Yuushi said in a serious tone.

Kakashi pulled back quickly, not understanding what she was saying. There was fear present in his eyes.

Yuushi's fingers traced the line of his lips as she said, "We're ninja, remember? We go on missions never knowing if we'll make it back alive. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep."

Kakashi nodded, "I understand. I hate to think about losing my teammates, my friends, you." He smirked pushing the few strands of hair away from her face.

"Obito is in a better place than the rest of us. Remember that." Yuushi answered scrutinizing his face.

Kakashi let out the breath that he was holding in. He nodded again and reached up to his face pulling up his mask.

"Wait, leave it down, please." Yuushi pleaded.

"I can't. We have company." Kakashi's right eye shifted toward the way they had come.

Yuushi turned around to see Jiraiya walking toward them. His smile was knowing. He reached them in only a few steps.

"Well, I see you found her fairly quickly, Kakashi." He said in a strong voice.

"Of course I did." Kakashi answered.

Jiraiya turned to Yuushi. His face became serious.

"I trust that I can leave you in his hands. I have other matters to attend to. I need to begin trekking east. I came to say good bye. I'm leaving in a few hours. I need to pack." Jiraiya explained to her.

Yuushi nodded. "All right, I hope you find what you're looking for. I'll miss you, Jiraiya." She wrapped her arms around his torso. He returned the gesture.

Pulling away he said good bye to Kakashi as well. He walked away in the direction of the inn.

"You know, we could really use your help. The mission we're conducting could always use an extra set of eyes." Kakashi proposed.

"I won't be able to assist you in your mission. I have my own to attend to." She answered.

"Oh, what kind of mission are you working on? And what's with the formality?" Kakashi arched an eyebrow.

"It's reconnaissance. I'm collecting information."

"Huh, that's odd. I'm leading a reconnaissance team as well. It's most likely the same mission. We could use your information."

"We should get back then. The trade is supposed to happen in twenty-four hours from now." She grabbed Kakashi's hand and began walking toward the exit. Their fingers intertwined as they fell into step with each other.

"Well, at least I'll still be holding up my reputation." Kakashi smiled.

"And which reputation is that?" Yuushi asked not knowing if she wanted to know the answer.

"I was supposed to meet my team over an hour ago." Kakashi said nonchalantly.

Yuushi just shook her head, her smile turning into a disbelieving frown.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next time: Yuushi teams up with Kakashi's reconnaissance team. She's traded travelling with Jiraiya for travelling with three very different ninjas.

Sorry the update took so long. Finals were rough. I'm going to try to update as often as I can this summer.

**Please review!!!**

Thanks,

Yuushi-chan


	10. Chapter 10: The Mission

**Author's Note: **The chapters will be much shorter from now on, now that the main characters are together.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, I do not.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10: The Mission

Yuushi had found a letter from Jiraiya when she went back to her suite. It explained that he had paid for the next few nights for her to stay in the room and that he had left her some extra money for food and supplies. She felt a rush of gratitude toward Jiraiya.

"Thank you." She whispered to no one in particular. She grabbed the rest of her things including her mission scroll and the supplies she had left. Everything fit nicely in her pack with room to spare. "I really need to stock up on some more supplies."

She double checked the room, making sure she didn't forget anything. She grabbed the room key before closing and locking the door. Making her way to the front desk, she ran into Genma.

"Yuushi? I didn't think I'd ever see you here." He said surprised.

"No one told you I was here? I've already talked to Kakashi and Gai. I was here with Jiraiya. He's gone now, but I'm joining your team now." Yuushi answered him.

"Oh, well, great. I have to warn you, though, Kakashi has been really tense this entire mission."

"I'll be fine. I've worked with Kakashi before, and I'm pretty sure he won't be as tense anymore." Yuushi walked away leaving Genma to work the last comment out in his mind.

She finally reached her destination at the front desk. The woman sitting in the chair behind the desk was reading and completely oblivious to Yuushi's presence. Yuushi stood there for a good minute before clearing her throat.

The woman looked up from her magazine. She didn't not look too excited to see Yuushi standing front of her.

"Can I help you?" The woman said in a strained tone.

"Yes, I believe you can. I was sharing a room with an older man who checked out a few hours ago. His name was Jiraiya. I wanted to inform you that I will not be staying in that room any longer. I met up with my teammates and I will be sharing a room with them, room 216 I believe. I was wondering if I could transfer the money Jiraiya left on room 140 to room 116?" Yuushi asked.

The only thing the woman said was, "Teammates?"

"Yes, I'm a ninja. You must really be pretty dense if you can't notice my head band." Yuushi said in a condescending voice. "Now did you hear everything I said, or did you get sidetracked thinking about your smut magazine?" She asked with a large fake smile.

The woman blushed having been caught reading inappropriate material during her shift. She turned in her chair toward the computer on the edge of the desk. She began typing in the codes to perform the transfer.

"You said you wanted to transfer the money from room 140 to room 116?" She asked, being much more cooperative.

"Yes, thank you."

Yuushi walked away from the desk heading toward Kakashi's room. Thinking over the conversation she rolled her eyes and shook her head, not believing how some people had such nerve.

Yuushi knocked on the door to room 216. She heard heavy footsteps come toward the door. When she thought the door was going to open she heard Gai's voice.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Room service." She answered in a sweet voice higher than her own.

"We didn't order any room service."

"I'm sorry sir; I was told I needed to service your room."

"What kind of servicing?" Gai asked.

Yuushi rolled her eyes. "The usual servicing: changing towels, making beds, and becoming an added member to your reconnaissance team."

At the last comment the door swung open. Gai stood there stunned for a moment still trying to figure out why a maid would need to help them with their mission.

"Oh, Yuushi-chan, it's just you." Gai said when he noticed her.

"Yes, Gai, now can you let me in?" She smiled.

"Sure, sure. Come in, we were just about to share our findings." Gai stepped out of the way allowing Yuushi to pass him into the common room of the suite.

"Hey guys." Yuushi said when she saw Kakashi and Genma.

"Why'd you bring your pack with you?" Genma asked.

"Oh." Yuushi looked over her shoulder. "Because I'm staying with you guys now. Kakashi said it was all right." She looked pointedly at Kakashi and smiled at him.

Genma looked back and forth between Kakashi and Yuushi trying to decipher what was going on. He then looked at Gai who had just walked into the common room.

"Am I missing something?" Genma asked to everyone in the room.

"Yes, you are." Kakashi spoke. "Yuushi was assigned the same mission over a year ago. She's scouted the area just like we did. We could use her information. She is now a part of this team."

"All right, now that everyone is here, we should begin." Gai said.

The other three nodded and took their places among the room. Yuushi pulled out her mission scroll and notebook from her pack. Kakashi pulled out his mission scroll and looked around at everyone.

"Genma, Gai, what did you find out?" Kakashi asked.

"I came across a dock toward the eastern gate of the city. I spoke to the man who owned the dock along with a couple of waterfall ninja. The ninja didn't seem to know much, they told me they usually guard the area because people try to commandeer boats. The man that owned the dock, though, it seemed that he was keeping something from me. So, the dock seems like a likely place this trade with the mist ninja will happen." Genma reported.

"Gai, did you find anything?" Kakashi asked.

"Not much anything different than Genma. The ninja at the eastern gate seemed to be trying to keep something hush hush. I suppose they have a plan b if the open water fails." Gai stated.

"Yuushi, what do you…?" Kakashi turned to her, but her face was hidden by her hair. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I can't work with you." Yuushi stated.

"What do you mean?" Gai asked.

"The mist ninja aren't my target." She said.

"Then who is your target?" Genma asked getting impatient.

"Yuushi, do you mind if I take a look at your mission scroll?" Kakashi asked reaching his hand toward her.

"Sure." She said handing him the scroll.

Kakashi sat silently reading over her mission scroll. The more he read it, the more he realized what it really was. Each part of her mission required her to work with the Fire Nation's enemies.

_First, she had to work with rock ninja when she was attacked by that monster. Now her target is sand ninja, but that trade happened over three months ago. After this part she will have to move on to cloud ninja. The more I read this, the more I feel like there's something wrong with this mission._

Kakashi looked up at everyone and then his eye landed on Yuushi. He studied her for a moment before handing back the scroll.

"Her target is the sand ninja." He told Gai and Genma. "Yuushi I want you to abandon this mission and join us."

Yuushi looked startled by his request, but nodded. "I…all right, I'll join you." She shifted her eyes to Kakashi silently telling him that the next time they were alone he was going to explain himself.

Kakashi gave a small nod showing that he understood her. He then turned to Gai and Genma.

"Well, it seems we need to brief her on our mission. So, Gai, Genma, please brief her. There's something I need to take care of." Kakashi said.

Kakashi left the room, heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Ass." Genma said under his breath.

"Yuushi, our mission is simple. We are to collect information on a trade being conducted between waterfall ninja and mist ninja. We cannot fight them unless they initiate it." Gai told her.

"If they initiate a fight, then it's obvious that they're shipping something illegal or dangerous." Genma spoke.

"Sure. And if they don't initiate a fight?" Yuushi asked.

"We can't do anything. We can only bring the information we gather back to the Leaf Village." Kakashi said walking out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist and using his clothes to hide his face.

"That was fast." Yuushi said trying to keep the heat she felt from rising to her cheeks.

A few minutes later, Kakashi walked out of his bedroom in a fresh uniform, mask and all. He walked toward the chair closest to him, where Yuushi sat. When he placed his hand on her shoulder she flinched and turned around to look at him. He squeezed her shoulder lightly while giver her his famous eye crinkling smile. She returned a small smile.

Gai and Genma were having an argument about Gai's concept of training and youth. It was obvious that Genma was very close to ending it with a hard blow to Gai's face. Yuushi laughed at the two men, who were still too wrapped up in their conversation to notice.

Kakashi bent low so his mouth was level with Yuushi's ear. He saw her shiver when he breathed into her ear.

"Would you mind coming with me for a moment? There's something I'd like to talk to you about." Kakashi said in a low whisper.

The heat was rising into her cheeks a she stood up from the chair silently. "Sure. Where can we talk?" She asked.

"There's a patio just out here. We should have enough privacy." He said pointing toward the door.

They stepped out onto the dark patio. The sun had set hours ago, but the city was still lively. They could see the lights from the heart of the city and hear distant music.

"What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" Yuushi asked turning around to face Kakashi.

"When I was reading your mission scroll, I noticed something odd." He said.

"And what was that?"

"All of the parts of your mission required you to work with the Fire Nation's worst enemies."

"I know, I've thought a lot about that." Yuushi turned her back on him and breathed a heavy sigh.

"What are you thinking?" Kakashi asked quietly.

She stayed quiet. Kakashi put his hand under her chin turning her head to face him. Her eyes were brimming with tears when she looked up at him. Suddenly she felt his arms wrap tightly around her body. Kakashi pulled away to pull down his mask. He cupped her face with his hand as his lips met hers.

"Will you let me know what you're thinking?" Kakashi asked again when he pulled away from her.

Yuushi took a deep breath before speaking. "I think my father tried to kill me." She said desperately.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Sorry I haven't updated in a really long time. I've been busy and then I was on vacation for a couple weeks. I hope to update sooner from now on. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate what you have to say.

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Chapter 11

Yuushi was stationed at the shipping port, hiding behind a stack of crates. She was monitoring the situation, waiting for anything suspicious. Gai was stationed near the eastern gate. He was there as a back up if the trade was carried out on foot. Genma was a look out at the top of a waterfall the drained into the port. Kakashi was stationed inside the village, listening for any information about the trade with the Mist ninja.

"I'm in position." Yuushi said over her head set. "There has been no activity."

"Understood." Kakashi answered. "I've been following two Mist ninja. They just made contact with one Waterfall ninja. Yuushi, Genma, stay alert. They're heading your way."

"Got it." Yuushi said.

"I have a visual." Genma added.

Moments later, Yuushi saw two heavily disguised Mist ninja and one small Waterfall ninja stepping onto the dock. All three were male. The two Mist ninja were wearing heavy garments and long pants. One was wearing a large piece of cloth around his head to shield him from the sun. The Waterfall ninja was wearing a shirt with cut-off sleeves, and baggy shorts. His head band was tied around his neck.

Yuushi shifted in her position to get a better view.

"You're sure this will work?" The Waterfall ninja asked the two others.

"Yes, once you hand over the items, Takigakure will increase its profit." The ninja with the head cloth answered.

"Wonderful. Now, just give me a moment to gather the crates." The Waterfall ninja said with a smile.

"Yugo, scout the area. We don't need anyone following us." The Mist ninja with the head cloth told his partner.

The ninja named Yugo complied and began to walk away from the other two men. Yuushi lost sight of him as he walked toward the boats.

"Yuushi, move, move!" Genma shouted. "He's coming right toward you. Get out of there!"

Yuushi looked to her left and right franticly. She saw and area of the dock that shifted into rock. Yuushi hunched down and ran toward the rocks. The passageway lead down and she followed it for a few feet. She stepped to the other side of the passageway to get a better look at the dock. It wasn't hard to see, but it wasn't easy either.

"Yuushi, are you all right?" She heard Kakashi's voice.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm hidden, but I still have visual. They're gathering the crates I was positioned behind."

She heard a pause and knew what was coming.

"Do you have any idea what was in them?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure. I'm thinking." She answered.

She thought about what was in the crates. Yuushi wracked her brain, trying to place the smell the crates had given off. It was a fresh and cool smelling substance. She remembered looking through the cracks of the crates trying to figure out if she could see through them. Whatever was in the crate had color to it. It looked a bit like fabric…and then she figured out what it was.

"Kakashi, I know what was in the crate." Yuushi stated.

"What was it?" Genma asked quickly.

"Takigakure silk." She said. "Waterfall country has never sold it outside their country. It's very precious fabric."

"That's it?" Genma asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes, it's very valuable. It's not just silk, Genma, it has special properties. It absorbs the users' chakra providing a shield to the body, and the material is always cool; it never absorbs body heat." Yuushi explained.

"Well, I guess we just finished our mission." Gai said over the head set after listening to the entire ordeal. "Where are we meeting?"

"We'll meet back at our room." Kakashi said. "Let's head out."

They all gathered their gear and headed back to the hotel. Kakashi was the first one there because he had been positioned in town. Genma and Yuushi arrived together, and Gai came showed up last.

"Well, now that we know what the exchanged items are, we can head back home and hand in our report." Kakashi told the team. "Yuushi, I expect you'll be travelling back to Konoha with us."

"I…yes, I will be travelling back with you." Yuushi said hesitantly.

Kakashi eyed her for a moment before turning back to the rest of the team.

"We'll head out in the morning. Pack everything tonight so we can leave as soon as possible." Kakashi sighed.

"All right." Gai said before heading over to his pack.

"Got it." Genma said while sitting on one of the chairs in the common room.

Yuushi nodded silently before walking toward the bathroom. Kakashi followed her with his eyes. She shut the door and started the shower. She stripped down and stepped into the shower. Her hair was already wet when she realized she forgot to bring a fresh set of clothes with her.

"Shit." She said to herself. "This is going to be so embarrassing."

Not five minutes later, Yuushi heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"What do you need?" She asked peeved.

She heard the door open and one of the boys slip into the bathroom.

"I just thought you would need your clothes." Kakashi said.

"Oh, thank you." Yuushi said not wanting to pull back the curtain. She stayed quiet while she showered and noticed that it was completely silent aside from the sound of the running water.

_Did he leave? I didn't hear the door open and close. I don't know if I should call for him._

"Kakashi?" She asked quietly.

"Yes?" He said.

"Why are you still in here?" She asked.

"I want to talk to you about something." He said now very serious.

"Before we start talking, aren't you worried about what Gai and Genma will think?" She wondered.

"I don't need to worry. They went over to one of the pubs down the street." Kakashi explained.

"Okay, now what did you want to talk to me about?" Yuushi asked while rinsing her hair.

"You were very hesitant when I asked if you would be travelling back to Konoha with us. Why?"

"I… there's something I'd like to do before I head back to the village." She shut off the shower and slipped her hand out of the curtain and reached for her towel.

"And what is that?"

Kakashi could hear Yuushi drying herself off. She pulled back the curtain and Kakashi half expected her to be completely naked. She had the towel wrapped around her body, her brown hair darker from the wetness.

"I want to find someone." She said looking at him.

Kakashi stood up and walked toward Yuushi. He held her forearm to help her out of the shower.

"I don't think he wants to be found." Kakashi looked into her eyes telling her that he knew who she was talking about.

"Remember how I told you that I knew something I shouldn't. I told you that I snuck into my father's office and that's why I was assigned to my former team." She said quietly.

"But you can't tell me what you found, can you?" Kakashi asked smiling under his mask.

"No, I can't. Now can you get out so I can change?" Yuushi pointed to the door.

Kakashi left the room and waited for Yuushi. A few minutes later she stepped out in a pair of black shorts and a red tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a low pony tail.

"Kakashi, all I can tell you is that I need to find my former teammate." She said pleading with him.

"I want you to come back with me." He said holding his hand toward her and pulling her down onto the couch with him.

"You have to promise me something. When you go back to Konoha, I need you to tell my father that I'm alive, but you cannot let the elders know. My father listens to them too often."

"I…all right, I'll let him know. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know, as long as it takes to find him. I'll be leaving in the morning."

"Just be careful. I expect to see you in less than six months. If I don't see you, I'll be coming after you." Kakashi pulled down his mask, allowing Yuushi to see his face for a moment before kissing her.

"I promise I won't be long." Yuushi said with a smirk.

She could see the defiance in Kakashi's eye, but couldn't talk herself out of her decision. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled softly at him.

"I'm sorry Kakashi, but I need to find Itachi."

Yuushi pulled her hand away and stood up. She walked toward the bedroom she was staying in. Before closing the door she called, "Goodnight, Kakashi."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Sorry I haven't written in a while. Here's the 12th chapter.

Yuushi-chan

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Chapter 12

Yuushi stood outside the front entrance of the inn. Kakashi walked out the front door to see her off. Dawn was approaching; the sky was a purple color touched with pink. Genma and Gai were still asleep, not having to be awake until mid morning.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Kakashi asked Yuushi.

"No, but I need to do this. There are things he needs to understand, and I have questions." Yuushi answered.

"I'll make sure to keep this under wraps. Now, am I to understand that you only want me to alert your father that you're still alive?" Kakashi asked.

Yuushi made a small frown. She understood what he meant by that.

She took a deep breath and said, "You may only tell my father and Asuma that I'm alive and _only_ them."

Kakashi gave a short nod. He turned his head up toward the sky and closed his eyes. Everything was quiet with no one in the streets. Grabbing Yuushi's hand, he pulled her into a warm embrace. Yuushi wrapped her arms around his torso and hid her face in his chest.

"Be careful. Once you find Itachi, he may not be willing to listen to what you have to say. If he turns hostile, I want you to forget about this mission you've given yourself." Kakashi ordered pulling Yuushi an arms length away. He stared into her eyes and took another deep steadying breath.

"I should get going." Yuushi stated breaking the eye contact.

Kakashi lowered his arms and nodded. He tried not to look at her, but he couldn't help it.

"Good bye, Kakashi. I'll be home as soon as I can." She said as she turned away from him.

Kakashi watched her go until she was just a black spot in the distance. Feeling tired again, he went back to the room and lay down on the sofa. He fell asleep easily, but was plagued with horrifying dreams of what could happen once Yuushi found Itachi.

Kakashi was startled awake by Gai's hand on his shoulder. He sat up quickly and looked into the man's face; Gai looked troubled.

"Gai, is something wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, it seems that Yuushi-chan cannot be located." Gai said in a troubled voice.

"Oh, I know. That's because she left this morning at dawn. She has something she needs to do before she heads back to Konoha." Kakashi said in a low voice.

"I see." Gai said. "Are you feeling all right, Kakashi? You're covered in a cold sweat."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kakashi said distracted. "Is Genma awake?"

"Yeah, I'm right over here." Genma's voice came from the front of the common room.

"Good, then we can get moving." Kakashi stood up and grabbed his bag at the front door.

The three men handed in their room keys to the receptionist and made their way toward the southern gate. By two in the afternoon, they were only a few hours away from Konoha's northern gate. The sun was blazing, but Kakashi didn't want to stop. He pushed the other men further.

"Kakashi, it's hot and we haven't taken a break our entire trip." Genma complained.

"We're almost to the woods; we'll take a break once we're under the cover of the trees." Kakashi answered.

Genma sighed and leaned his head toward Gai, who looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Slave driver." Genma grumbled loud enough for only Gai to hear.

"I heard that." Kakashi said smirking.

Genma's eyes widened and then he let out a slow breath. "Man, Kakashi, when did you attain super sonic hearing?"

"It's just something I learned from my training in the ANBU black ops." Kakashi said. "There's only a mile or so until we reach the forest. Do you think you can handle that, Genma?"

"Why are you picking on me?" Genma asked incredulous.

"Because you called me a slave driver." Kakashi smirked.

"Yes, Kakashi I can handle one mile." Genma asked irritated.

Gai was walking next to Kakashi now, while Genma dragged behind.

"Kakashi, why did Yuushi leave?" He asked.

Kakashi sighed, "I'm sorry, Gai. I can't give you exact details. All I can tell you is that she had to take care of some unfinished business."

Gai nodded and turned away mulling over what Kakashi had just told him.

"You're unhappy she's gone." Gai stated.

Kakashi looked up at Gai and then looked back toward the road they were on. "Yes."

Gai smiled and took a deep breath, "I'm going to start training genin."

"Are you really?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, I'm ready to teach the youth of Konoha!" Gai said with a thumbs up.

Kakashi shook his head, "I already started teaching genin."

"What's it like? How were your students?" Gai asked.

"I didn't pass them. They weren't ready." Kakashi sighed.

"You must have been too hard on them."

"No, they were weak. We're talking about the ninja that will be running the Leaf Village in the next generation, Gai. It cannot be taken lightly."

Gai laughed, "Ah, Kakashi, always so serious."

Kakashi was about the fight back when he noticed that the sun light wasn't on them anymore. They had finally reached the forest to the north of the village.

"Finally!" Genma yelled collapsing on the ground.

"You should drink some water, Genma; you're probably dehydrated." Kakashi told him while taking his own canteen from his back pack. "We'll take a fifteen minute break, and then we'll make the rest of the journey back to the Leaf Village. You got that, Genma?"

"Yeah, yeah, fifteen minutes." Genma said breathlessly as he downed his water.

Kakashi left Gai and Genma. He walked around the area, scouting it and making sure they weren't followed. When he knew nobody was around, he lowered his mask and drank from his canteen. He had been so thirsty. Some of the water slipped down his chin from the corners of his mouth.

With his acute sense of hearing, Kakashi located a small stream not far from the group and refilled his canteen. He made his way back toward Gai and Genma after pulling his mask up again.

"There's a stream not far from here where you can refill your canteens." Kakashi spoke to the men.

Genma was up in a second and walking toward the area Kakashi was pointing to. Gai followed, his canteen hanging limply from his wrist.

Kakashi waited for the two to return, and as he did so, he pulled a small orange book from his kunai pouch. He sat down with his back to a tree and began to read where he had left off last.

Genma and Gai returned five minutes later packed and ready to finish the last leg of their journey. Kakashi stood and returned the book to his kunai pouch. The squad leaped into the trees and made quicker time back to Konoha.

Upon their arrival, Kakashi signed the squad in, showing that they had returned. They made their way to the hokage's office. The sun was just about to set when the squad entered the hokage's office.

"Ah, Team Kakashi, you made good time coming back to the village. Tell me, what did you find?" The Third Hokage asked.

The three men took turns explaining their findings. Kakashi had warned Genma and Gai not to mention Yuushi in their report. Twenty minutes later, the hokage dismissed the team, but Kakashi stayed behind.

"Sir, I wondered if I could tell you something in confidence?" Kakashi asked.

"Anything Kakashi, it won't leave this office." The hokage answered.

"There is one thing, or person, I left out of the mission report."

"And what would that be?"

"We met up with Yuushi during our mission." Kakashi paused. "Before you say anything, I would like to say it was a shock to see her alive. She was traveling with master Jiraiya when we met her."

"That's impossible. Yuushi, my daughter is dead." The hokage said in shock.

"She told me that I'm only allowed to inform you and Asuma that she is alive. She wanted me to tell you that she's finishing what she started."

"And what does she mean by that?" The hokage was becoming ill tempered.

"She's going to find and speak to Uchiha Itachi. And she told me to tell you specifically, that the elders are not to know about this." Kakashi answered.

"I understand, finally she's taking charge of her own life. Tell me, how did she survive?"

"She told me she was near death when Master Jiraiya found her. Tsunade tended to her wounds and she was nearly fully recovered after three months."

The hokage nodded, "You may leave, Kakashi."

Kakashi bowed and left the office. Heading down the stairs, he thought, _now on to Asuma._


	13. Chapter 13: A Brother's Love

Chapter 13: A Brother's Love

Yuushi turned the corner and stopped, leaning against a building. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart was racing and beads of sweat were trickling down her face and back.

She was currently deep within Otogakure and was almost caught by a giant snake lurking in the forest. She reached for her canteen that was strapped to her back pack. Just as she was about the take a drink, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She paused and studied her surroundings a bit more carefully before closing her eyes and taking a long drink of water from her canteen.

She replaced her canteen on the side of her pack and suddenly felt an eerie presence. Her hand automatically reached for her kunai pouch. Just as her left hand grasped a kunai, she felt a callused hand grab her wrist and another hand covered her mouth.

"Stay very still." A man whispered.

Yuushi listened and froze her body. She heard other voices nearing their position. When the voices passed, her captor slackened his grip around her wrist. Yuushi ripped her hand out of the man's grasp while gripping her kunai. She kicked backwards, making contact and threw the kunai quickly at her assailant. She heard the man moan when the kunai made contact with his upper thigh.

Yuushi turned around to see the man that had grasped her from behind. Who she saw made her jaw drop.

"Asuma?" Yuushi asked incredulous.

"Damn, Yuushi, you could have gone a little easier on me." Asuma responded.

"Yeah, well, you could have made your presence known and not sneak up behind me." She said with her hands on her hips.

Asuma pulled the kunai out of his left thigh and stood up. He limped toward his sister and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I thought you were dead." He said his face buried in her shoulder.

Yuushi hugged her brother tight and relaxed her body. Yuushi could feel tears welling up, but she didn't let them fall.

Asuma let go of her and looked at her at an arms length.

"What happened? All Kakashi told me was that you were alive and that he met up with you a couple days ago. Are you okay? Why didn't you come home with Kakashi, Gai, and Genma?"

Yuushi put her hands up, "Hey, hey, too many questions. As for what happened to me…it's a long story. I traveled with Master Jiraiya for a while and then I worked on a mission with Kakashi's team, and now…"

"And now?" Asuma asked.

"I'm working on my own mission. Something Dad can't know about. I swear, after all this is over, I'm never speaking to him ever again." Yuushi' face began to flush.

"Why?"

"Because…I think Dad tried to kill me."

"I'm not going to fight you on that. He's the reason I left the village for so long. Now that I'm home again, I'm trying to reconcile with him."

"Yeah, and how's that going for you?" Yuushi asked sarcastically.

"Not too well. Dad's too influenced by the elders." Asuma answered.

"Well, they were his teammates. I really do think they made Dad send me away."

"I wouldn't doubt it. So this mission you're conducting, what are you doing?" Asuma changed the subject.

"I…I don't want to tell you…because I know you'll try to stop me." Yuushi answered.

Asuma sighed deeply and hung his head. "Yuushi, please tell me. I don't want to go through your death again."

"Fine," she said crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm going to find Itachi. There's something I need to tell him."

Asuma was shaking his head. "No! I won't let you! I know you're a ninja and everything, but that man will never listen to you. He's a born killer, he massacred his entire family."

"You don't know the half of it, brother! Like I said, you would try to stop me." Yuushi yelled.

"No, you're coming back with me." Asuma said grabbing her upper arm and pulling her through the forest.

"No! I have to do this.—"Asuma, let go!" Yuushi struggled.

Asuma tried to make Yuushi stop struggling, but got nowhere. Finally he just threw her over his shoulder and walked back to camp. The entire way, Yuushi yelled at her older brother and struggled to get out of his grip.

"Well, now Asuma you finally found yourself a woman." One of his teammates said.

"No, I found myself a pain in the ass." Asuma said while he dropped Yuushi on the ground.

"No way! Is that who I think it is?" A woman asked.

Yuushi lifted her forehead protector, which had slid down her face while she struggled. She looked around the area. Asuma looked down at his sister.

"Yugao?" Yuushi asked. "Aoba?"

"Yeah, it's us. We thought you were dead. How are you not?" Aoba asked.

"It's a long story, and I don't have time to tell it. Asuma dragged me here against my will. I have to get going." Yuushi glared at her brother.

Yuushi stood up and turned her back on the three ninja. She only got as far as two steps before Asuma stopped her again. He turned her to face him and held her arms to her sides.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight for a moment." Asuma said sternly.

Yuushi rolled her eyes and easily got out of her brother's grasp. She looked around Asuma at the other two ninja. She sighed realizing that there was no way she could get out of this easily.

"Fine, I'll stay with you." Yuushi paused. "Why are you guys out here anyway?"

Yugao stepped forward, "We have orders from the Third Hokage to capture and bring back Orochimaru to the village."

"Isn't Master Jiraiya doing the same thing? Why would the hokage send you on a mission that's already been ordered?"

Asuma, Aoba, and Yugao looked at each other confused. Yugao turned back to Yuushi.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, I was traveling with Jiraiya before I met up with Kakashi's team. When I joined Kakashi, Jiraiya left in search of information on Orochimaru's whereabouts." Yuushi explained.

"If that's what's going on," Aoba started, "then why are we still out here, Asuma?"

"We'll stay for the night. It's getting too dark to travel back to the village. We'll set out for Konoha in the morning." Asuma told his team. He then turned to look at Yuushi. "And you'll be accompanying us."

Yuushi sat down hard on the ground making a loud 'thump.' She crossed her arms and turned her head away from her brother.

Asuma huffed, "You're such a baby."

"I am not!" Yuushi yelled. "You can't control where I go and what I do. I am a free person; I can do what I want!"

"You're coming back to the village with us tomorrow. That's final." Asuma said walking away. "Yugao, will you come with me for a moment? There's something I'd like to ask you."

"Sure, Asuma." Yugao stood up and followed Asuma into the forest.

Yuushi watched them go wondering what Asuma needed to ask Yugao.

"So…" Aoba said breaking the silence.

"So what?" Yuushi turned to the man.

"Are you going to sneak off in the middle of the night?" He asked seriously.

"Maybe. Why, are you going to stop me?" Yuushi smirked.

"I'll have to. It's Asuma's orders."

Yuushi sighed, "You're too serious, Aoba. You really should lighten up."

"I've been known to loosen up, occasionally." The man said flustered.

"Oh really? When?" Yuushi teased.

"Well… I like to gamble. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. And you know the jonin hold poker games the last weekend of every month." Aoba blushed.

Yuushi laughed, "So, you play strip poker, huh?"

Aoba was at a loss for words, "I- it's not- you."

Yuushi laughed at Aoba causing the young man to turn as red as a tomato. Just as Aoba was about to get up and leave, Asuma and Yugao returned. The first thing Yuushi noticed was the twinkle in Yugao's eye.

_What the hell did he say to her?_ Yuushi thought. _Jeez she looks like a giddy school girl. And why is Asuma smirking? Look at his face, all smug and pompous. Man, I hate when he gets like this._

"Yuushi, could you come with me for a moment?" Yugao asked shaking Yuushi out of her thoughts.

The two women walked a short distance through the trees, just far enough so the men wouldn't hear their conversation. Yugao stopped walking and turned around to face Yuushi.

"Yuushi, what was it like working with Kakashi-senpai?" Yugao asked in a light voice that clearly hid her real intention.

"I-what?" Yuushi asked confused.

"It's just, Senpai can be inappropriate at times, if you know what I mean." Yugao said barely controlling the smile she was trying to suppress.

"I don't understand." Yuushi said.

Yugao rolled her eyes, "Come on, Asuma told me about you and Kakashi."

"What are you talking about?" Yuushi was trying hard to keep a straight face.

"You're in love with him aren't you?"

"How can you say that?" Yuushi asked acting like she was offended.

"So, wait…you're not in love with him? There's nothing going on between the two of you?" Yugao asked seriously.

"No, there never has been. He was always really rude and mean to me when we were kids, why would I want to be with someone like that?" Yuushi said seriously.

"Oh, okay then."

"Why did my brother want you to talk to me exactly?" Yuushi asked not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh, he just wanted me to find out if while you were with Kakashi and his team the two of you slept together." Yugao said matter-of-factly.

Yuushi flushed a deep red. "No, of course not. Why would I? Why would we?" Yuushi was losing her composure now.

Yugao narrowed her eyes and then smirked. She gave a short laugh before pointing at Yuushi.

"You are such a liar! You have feelings for him don't you?" Yugao called her out.

Yuushi dropped to her knees on the mossy ground. She was holding her hands tightly in her lap. She tilted her head up at Yugao and nodded.

Yugao smiled while she crouched down in front of the young woman. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you." Yuushi said softly. "Do you think you could talk my brother out of taking me back to the village?" Yuushi put on her most convincing smile.

"That's a whole 'nother level, Yuushi. If you want to get out of that, you have to do it yourself." Yugao told her before standing up and walking back toward the camp.

_Damn! How am I going to get out of this? Aoba already knows I'll try to sneak out in the middle of the night. Maybe I'll try to leave at dawn… No, that won't work._ Yuushi sighed and also made her way back toward the camp.

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**Author's Note**: Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be written in split-perspective again. Please review, I'd like to know what you think of my story and my characters.

Yuushi-chan


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Yuushi lagged behind her brother's team. She was looking for any sign that she'd be able to escape. Asuma always had his eye on his sister, though, and he saw her looking for an escape.

"Yugao, walk next to my sister." Asuma ordered.

Yugao fell back and walked beside Yuushi. She noticed the defeated look on the young woman's face.

"What is it that you're trying to get to? Why do you want to leave us so badly?" Yugao asked.

"I-I can't tell you that." Yuushi answered softly. "It's just something really important that I have to do.

Yugao nodded her head. She studied Yuushi for a few moments before turning forward and getting Asuma's attention.

"Asuma! We should let Yuushi go." She declared.

Asuma stopped in his tracks. "What?! No, that's not happening."

"Listen, I know this was a mission to find her, but I was withholding information this entire time." Yugao confessed.

Everyone had stopped and turned to look at Yugao. They were all waiting for her to continue.

"Before we left, I ran into Kakashi. I asked him about Yuushi and what he knew of her whereabouts. He gave me information, but he also told me…something else."

"_Yugao, I need you to understand that Yuushi will refuse to come back to the village." Kakashi explained._

"_Why do you say that? What's she trying to do?" Yugao asked her senpai._

"_It has to do with her attempted murder. There are larger things going on here and we need to let them pan out. You cannot let Asuma get involved in this. Yuushi needs to do this alone." Kakashi explained._

"_Someone tried to kill her? What does she need to do alone?"_

"_She's going to make contact with Uchiha Itachi and no one can know about it. If anyone from the village, especially the elders find out about this, she will be classified as an S-class criminal; guilty by association. This is a teammate to teammate situation and Yuushi cannot have any distractions. She didn't tell me, but I know she knows something more about the Uchiha clan massacre." Kakashi finished seriously._

"_I understand. If we find her, I'll convince Asuma to let her continue her mission." Yugao nodded before disappearing to meet her team._

"I see." Asuma said after hearing what his teammate had to say. "So, you want me to let my sister go and allow her to be brutally killed by a homicidal maniac?!"

"He is not a homicidal maniac! You don't know him like I do. I can't tell you what I know, but I know after he hears what I have to say, he'll let me go free. You don't need to protect me all the time, Asuma." Yuushi said defensively.

"Yes, I do. I already lost one sibling and a mother; I won't lose anyone else in my family." He said angrily.

"You're being emotional. I'll be fine. I'll be back in a few weeks."

"No, you'll be back in a few pieces!" Asuma yelled as he advanced on his sister.

"Don't touch me. I have to leave and I won't let you stop me." Yuushi backed away from her brother.

Yugao jumped in between the siblings, "Hold it you two. I think Kakashi was right about this situation, Yuushi needs to do this and she can't have any distractions." She looked pointedly at Asuma.

"Yugao, stay out of this." Asuma's eyes burned.

"Don't even try to take me back. Stop acting like you're trying to find redemption. You left me here for Dad to take care of me. He was an empty shell after you left. He didn't talk to me, he didn't help me when I was working on a new technique; it was like he was just… there." Yuushi's eyes burned with tears. "So don't even try to make me feel guilty."

Asuma's face lost all anger as he stared at his little sister. His entire body calmed and he stepped back, his head hung.

"I had no idea that's what happened." Asuma said quietly. "All I knew was that when I came back, Hiro and you were dead." He gave a humorless laugh.

Yuushi stepped forward, her eyes softening. She reached up and put her hands on either sides of her brother's face. "You need to let me go." She whispered fiercely.

Asuma nodded and hugged her tightly." Go, get out of here before I change my mind and haul you back."

Yuushi smiled and said, "Thank you." With that, she turned around and ran in the opposite direction, going east toward the Fire and Wind Countries' borders.

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Kakashi sat with his back to a tree, reading his favorite little orange book. Pakkun lay next to him panting from the heat. The little dog sighed contentedly as Kakashi scratched behind his ears.

"Kakashi, it's good to see you calm again." Pakkun commented.

"What are you talking about? I've been calm." Kakashi said without looking away from his book.

"Ever since you learned Yuushi was alive, you've seemed a lot more content." Pakkun said. "Although, I can't say the same about the way you treated those potential genin."

"They weren't ready. They didn't deserve to become genin only to be killed in their first battle. It wouldn't be fair." Kakashi explained.

"This is the second team you've failed. Maybe your next team will be better. After all, third time's the charm." The little dog chuckled.

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Maybe, but neither of the teams I've failed had any independence. They didn't know how to survive."

Pakkun sighed and stretched. "Well, it's been fun, but I'm gonna go."

"All right. See ya." Kakashi looked away from his book to smile at the pug.

Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi pocketed his book and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head. He made his way back to his bachelor apartment, taking the road through the village. He was a little over half way home when the hokage fell into step next to him.

"Hokage-sama, hello." Kakashi gave a small bow of his head.

"Kakashi my boy, I'd like to have a word with you." The elderly man said.

"Of course, would you like to speak in your office?"

"No, no, your apartment is much closer. If it is all right with you?"

"It's fine, although I will have to apologize for the mess. I've been busy lately and haven't had a chance to clean up." Kakashi explained.

"Don't worry about it." The hokage answered.

The hokage followed Kakashi up the staircase toward the front door to his apartment. Kakashi felt awkward having company over, let alone the hokage. Kakashi closed the door and turned around to ask if the hokage would like anything to drink.

"Kakashi, I'd like to ask you about your performance as a genin instructor." The hokage asked staring intensely at the young man.

Kakashi became very nervous standing in front of the short man.

"What did you find unqualified in the team you were given today? I understand that you use the bell test just as the Fourth, Jiraiya, and myself used."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, they were not ready to become ninja. They lacked a vital qualification." Kakashi explained.

"What qualification were they lacking?"

"They lacked survival skills, and if you haven't noticed, to pass a survival test, they are necessary." He answered sternly.

The hokage's face became bright. "Thank you for explaining this to me. Continue as you are and we will have some of the finest shinobi in our village."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed.

"I will be leaving now. Thank you for your time, Kakashi." The hokage bowed. "Come by my office tomorrow around noon, I have a new mission for you."

Kakashi walked the elderly man to the door and said good night to him. Kakashi turned around after locking the door and saw just how messy his apartment really was. He slapped his hand on his forehead and pulled it down his face, peeling his mask away as well.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The sun was setting, causing the sky to turn a vibrant pink touched with gold. Yuushi stood in the forest along the border of the Fire nation and the Wind nation. She knew there would be no point in travelling at night; she wouldn't be able to see which direction she was going, not to mention she might be spotted by foreign shinobi. She searched the area to make sure it was safe and then gathered some sticks to build a fire. She looked in her pack and pulled out a long sheet and her bedroll. She swung the sheet over a low branch and used some sharp sticks to secure the corners into the ground. Yuushi rolled her bedroll out underneath that makeshift tent and then went to tend to the fire; it only took her one try to get the fire started.

"I really wish I had some company." Yuushi sighed as she poked at the orange flames.

She pulled out a small, deep box out of her pack; it was sealed tight. She opened it and saw the large variety of food to choose from; there were mushrooms, packets of dry rice, packets of dry noodles, fresh fish, sushi rolls, and six different sauces to flavor the food. Yuushi pulled out one of the packets of rice, three strips of fish, a few mushrooms, and a packet of soy sauce. She grabbed a few sharp sticks and skewered the mushrooms and fish; she stuck the sticks in the ground and angled them toward the fire to cook. She pulled her pack toward her again and grabbed a small pot and a plate. She emptied the contents of her water bottle into the pot and held it over the fire to heat up. She then poured the packet of rice into the water and waited for it to boil. She stirred it with a spoon until the rice had absorbed all the water. She poured the rice onto the plate and then picked up the skewered mushrooms and fish and placed the food on top of the rice, discarding the sticks into the fire. She poured the soy sauce over the entire plate of food and took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of the fresh cooked food.

"Mmm! It's so good to eat some decent food." She said to herself savoring the food.

She finished her dinner quickly, devouring the last piece of rice with her chopsticks. When the plate was cleared, she stood up and grabbed the empty pot and the empty water bottle. She took the three items to a nearby stream. She cleaned the items the best she could and then filled the water bottle before returning to the campsite. She stored the dishes in her pack before crawling underneath the tent and slipping into her bedroll. She stared at the ceiling and slowly fell asleep thinking about where Kakashi and Asuma were right at that moment. She dreamed of them both and found that she slept easier than she had in months.

Yuushi awoke suddenly to a sharp sound. She sat up quickly and peaked around the side of the tent. She didn't see anyone or anything around the area. As she leaned back to lay down again, she heard voices.

"I saw some smoke coming from this area around dawn," said a young man.

"You're sure? You really think someone is camping out here?" A young woman's voice this time.

"Yes, definitely." The young man replied.

"Who do you think it is? You don't think sand shinobi would try to attack the village, do you?" The woman gasped.

"I don't know…but I wouldn't put it past them." His footsteps were coming closer.

Yuushi noticed that she was breathing very fast and she tried to calm herself down.

_They're afraid of sand ninja, so they have to by from Fire country. Maybe I can just talk to them._ She thought, calming herself. She crawled out of the tent and rolled up her bedroll; she set it next to her pack as she lifted the sheet off of the branch and folded it. She shoved the sheet into the pack and closed it before attaching the bedroll to the top of it. Just as she finished packing her things, she heard two sets of footsteps just beyond the trees in front of her.

"I think we're really close now." The man said quietly.

"Oh" the woman moaned. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Shh! You don't have to go any further. Just stay here; I'll go on ahead."

Yuushi didn't hear a response from the woman, but she heard the man moving toward her through the trees. Quickly she moved to the tree to her left and pressed her back against it. She pulled a kunai out of her holster and waited with bated breath. A tall man with short black hair stepped through the trees and headed straight for the remains of the campfire.

"Hmm…there's still smoke. Whoever was her didn't leave very long ago." The man said quietly to himself. The man was crouched, his back toward Yuushi, his hand in the ashes of the fire. Yuushi took the chance to trap the man off his guard.

Quickly and quietly, she moved behind the man and put a kunai to his throat. The man gasped.

"Who are you?" The man asked, fear thick in his voice.

"I should be asking you the same question." She said.

"A woman?" The man said surprised.

"Why so surprised?" Yuushi asked with mock sweetness. "You were right; I'm not from the Sand Village. I'm from the Leaf Village."

"The L-Leaf Village?" He stuttered.

"But why would you attack a village from the Fire Country if you're from the Leaf Village?"

"You must be thick! I'm not here to attack your village. I'm on a mission, and I was just taking a break for the night. I was going to be moving on early this morning, but then you and your friend showed up." Yuushi said removing the kunai and stepping back.

The man stood up and turned around to look at Yuushi. He was just a villager, and obviously had no defense training.

"What's your name?" Yuushi asked.

"Hideo, and my sister Nana is over there, hiding in the trees." He said quietly.

"You can come out, Nana. I'm not going to hurt you or your brother." Yuushi called.

Yuushi heard a rustle just beyond the trees. A teenage girl with shoulder-length black hair stepped out from the trees, a look of apprehension clear on her face.

"It's all right, Nana." Hideo told the young woman. Her answer was a nod.

"If you're not here to come into the village, then why are you here?" Hideo asked.

"I'm just passing through. I'm on my way to the Rain Country." Yuushi responded not giving away too much information.

"You said you're a ninja from Konoha. Don't ninja usually travel in groups of three?" The girl spoke up.

"Yeah, where are your teammates?" The man said joining in.

Yuushi rolled her eyes. "I am on my own. This is a solo mission."

The two civilians looked confused. "Listen, I was just on my way out of the area. I can't go into detail with anyone about what I am going to do." Yuushi said starting to walk away.

The two civilians were quiet as Yuushi walk away from them, heading toward the edge of the forest and the border to Rain Country.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kakashi was crouched behind a boulder; he was sitting on the edge of a rocky hillside surveying the scene on the ground below. The pouring rain had soaked through his clothing already and the strong wind was chilling him to the bone. His forehead protector was pulled up revealing his sharingan.

"Tenzo reporting…Kakashi, I have a visual on the target." Tenzo's voice was loud and clear over the head set.

"Copy that, Tenzo. I can see him as well. When I give the signal, we'll move in. Do you copy?" Kakashi spoke.

"Hai!" He heard from Tenzo.

"Copy that." Yugao Uzuki spoke back.

Ever since Kakashi had turned down the last two potential genin squads, the hokage had placed him back on A-rank and S-rank missions until the next graduating class came along. It was just luck that he was assigned leading a team with his old students from ANBU.

Kakashi gave the signal and Yugao set off at top speed, followed by Kakashi and then Tenzo. They were standing in separate spots in the village, hiding, but surrounding their target. Yugao laid a trap, sending the target ninja in the opposite direction he was going, and straight toward the three Konoha ninja. The trap led the man straight into a blocked alleyway. Tenzo sealed off the only exit using his wood style jutsu. Then Kakashi, wanting to get the mission over and done with, jumped into the alley from the roof top. The ninja didn't expect someone from the sky and was tripped up as Kakashi came flying toward him. The man stood in shock as a stream of blood trickled out of his slit throat and down his front. The ninja choked on his own blood as he fell to his knees.

"Your finished." Kakashi whispered disgusted as the man's lifeless face landed on his foot.

Tenzo undid the wood style jutsu and walked toward Kakashi and the dead man, Yugao just behind him.

"This bastard won't be selling children as slaves anymore." Kakashi said.

"Good, this is over now. Let's take care of the body and head to the inn for some shelter. This storm is getting worse." Yugao stated.

"Sure, let's just finish up here." Kakashi said lazily as he grabbed the dead man's legs.

Tenzo grabbed the man's arms and the two shinobi carried him toward the alleyway opening. Yugao was checking if everything was all clear and gave her teammates the signal when they could carry the dead body without being seen. The team hurried up the rocky hillside and threw the body behind a set of rocks, hiding it from view.

"Come on; let's get out of this storm before it gets any worse." Yugao yelled over the wind.

The two men nodded and ran back to the inn with their teammate. They didn't realize how cold they were until the walked into the warm lobby. Kakashi was shivering uncontrollably, his muscles tensing and his teeth chattering. Yugao was soaked to the bone and was shaking even more than her senpai. The team moved quickly to their common room and opened the door.

"I call shower." Tenzo announced.

"No, let Yugao take the shower first; she's shaking uncontrollably. I don't want her getting sick. You can take a shower after her, and I'll take a shower after you." Kakashi turned to Tenzo.

"Thank you, Kakashi-senpai." Yugao said before rushing to grab some dry clothes and heading to the bathroom.

"Ugh, senpai…" Tenzo whined.

"Don't whine Tenzo, you'll get your turn." Kakashi told him before grabbing a towel and a set of dry clothes.

Kakashi went into the bedroom he was staying in and closed the door. He pulled down his mask and took off his head band; Kakashi dried his face and hair with the towel. He stripped down and dried the rest of his body before putting on a completely dry and warm set of clothing and pulled his mask onto his face. He lay down in his bed and wrapped himself in the sheets. He was still freezing, so he got out of bed and went to a cupboard where he took out two more blankets; he threw the blankets on the bed and lay down again. He was slowly warming up now.

_I'm so cold; I wish I was taking a hot shower right now. But I'm too exhausted to get up._ Kakashi thought to himself as his eyes closed.

He curled up trying to maintain his body heat and slowly fell asleep. He felt like he had only been asleep for five minutes when he was awakened by a knock on his door.

"Senpai, you can take a shower now." Tenzo's voice carried through the door.

"Unh…" was Kakashi's answer. His head was cold and his face felt tight. He pulled the blankets off of himself and shivered when the cold touched his skin. It almost felt like it burned.

Kakashi stepped out of bed and almost tripped; his legs were weak and nearly gave out on him. He stumble toward the door and opened it a crack.

"Thanks, Tenzo." His voice was groggy and his throat felt dry. He walked slowly and quietly toward the bathroom, but stopped when Yugao addressed him.

"Senpai, are you feeling all right? You look really pale…well, paler than usual." Yugao asked concerned as she stepped toward him.

"I'm just exhausted." He croaked.

Yugao stepped in front of him, a tense look on her face. Her hand moved to his forehead. She pulled her hand back quickly and gasped.

"Kakashi, you're burning up!" Yugao said.

"Nothing a hot shower and a long sleep can't fix." Kakashi answered before coughing feeling small amounts of liquid shooting up his throat.

"Kakashi, sit down." Yugao ordered as she led him toward the couch in the common room.

Kakashi sat down, feeling exhausted and sore. He coughed again and tasted the liquid in his mouth. He felt hot all of a sudden, but freezing at the same time. Yugao pressed her head against Kakashi's chest.

"Uh…Yugao what are you doing?" Tenzo asked confused.

"Checking Kakashi's lungs; now, breathe, Kakashi."

Kakashi took a deep breath, but it stung his throat and sent him into a coughing fit. He tried breathing deep again, but the same thing happened.

"I can hear some crackling. If, we don't get you taken care of fast, this is going to be a very bad case of pneumonia, senpai." Yugao told him. "You already have the symptoms of pneumonia and because your hair was still wet while you were asleep, it's progressing fast."

"Unh…" Kakashi groaned.

"Go take a hot shower, senpai. I'll order room service and get you some soup." Yugao told him as she helped him off the couch.

Kakashi walked to the bathroom which was still warm from the previous occupants' showers. He closed the door and struggled to pull his clothing off; it was sticking to him in cold sweat. He turned the shower on and checked the water temperature. He turned it up higher; steam billowed out from behind the closed curtain. He pulled back the curtain and stepped in, feeling the hot water scorch his pale skin.

"Ssss!" He hissed as his body was completely engulfed in the hot water. This only caused him to go into a coughing fit again. He just stood under the water trying to warm his body. His skin was still freezing despite the temperature of the water.

Half an hour later, Kakashi stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with a dry, warm towel. He pulled his clothes on again and pulled his mask over his face. He wrapped the towel around his head in an attempt to dry his hair faster, and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Senpai, I have some soup for you here." Yugao said smiling as he entered the common room.

Kakashi turned to face her and saw that she and Tenzo had the television on and were watching the news. From what he could see, there was nothing really important going on. He nodded and walked to the couch, sitting down behind a tray table that had a steaming bowl of soup sitting on it.

"Itadakimasu, Yugao, Tenzo." Kakashi thanked in a croaky voice.

"Don't worry about it, Kakashi. You know we'll take care of you." Tenzo laughed.

Kakashi smiled before pulling down his mask and beginning to eat the soup. Yugao and Tenzo had both seen his face more than once, and weren't distracted by the fact that his mask wasn't on anymore. The three teammates ate in silence as they slowly entered a relaxed state.

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Sorry it took so long to update. I'm trying the best I can to update at least once a month. I'm hoping that I can update more than that in the future, but for now that's all I can do. I know this chapter doesn't have much dialogue, but I'm setting up for the next few chapters when Yuushi finally comes in contact with Itachi.

Please review, I want to know what you have to say. Ideas that you have for me are welcome.

Yuushi-chan


	16. Chapter 16: Near Death Experiences

Chapter 16: Near Death Experiences

Yuushi had promised her brother she would keep him updated as she moved closer toward her goal. She had been travelling for the last three days and hadn't had much time to rest. But now she did; she found a small tea shop on the side of the road and stopped to get something to eat and to write to Asuma.

_Dear Asuma,_

_I've been travelling for three days without much rest. I'm not any closer to finding my target. The word amongst criminals is that the hideout is somewhere in Amegakure. I'm making my way there. Lately, I've felt a presence that lingers not far behind me everywhere I go. I'm keeping my eyes open and being as cautious as I can. I'll return as soon as I possibly can. Tell Kakashi I miss him. I love you, Brother._

_Yuushi_

She looked over the letter and decided it was short and to the point; just how she wanted it. She rolled up the parchment and tied a piece of twine around the middle. When she got to the next village, she would visit a post office. But for the mean time, she relaxed at a table, nibbling on rice balls and sipping hot tea. The sun was out for the first time in four days today; the rain had finally stopped.

The sun had shifted its position lower in the sky and she forced herself to get a move on. She wanted to reach Amegakure as soon as possible. She would continue traveling during the night.

The sun was almost completely nonexistent. She was close to her next destination. Yuushi calculated that she'd reach the next village by mid morning. She would be able to send her letter then and get a move on to Amegakure. As she moved silently through the trees, she felt a presence fifty yards behind her. She picked up her pace, and so did the person following her. She felt the adrenaline kick in and her breathing coming faster.

"It's okay; just calm down." She whispered to herself. "I just need to get a quick look at my surroundings."

In midair she twisted her body so she was looking in the direction of her follower. Because of the poor lighting, she couldn't see anyone, but she knew they were there. She couldn't help but feel that the chakra signature was familiar. She let her eyes linger in the darkness for a few more moments before turning back around. But when she turned around she ran into something tall and hard. She fell backward and felt a thick hand clamp around her wrist. She looked up dazed and saw a mane of white hair.

"Jiraiya?" She asked staring at the man.

"I don't question how you have so many near death experiences anymore." He answered with a chuckle.

"What are you doing here? Are you the one who's been following me for the past few days?" Yuushi asked.

"Yes, I've been following you. I heard you were looking for Akastuki. I've been reading up on them myself for a while. I recently discovered that Orochimaru is a member of this organization." Jiraiya explained.

"How did you hear I was looking for Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya pulled a letter from the inside of his clothing and showed it to Yuushi. She reached out for it, and when Jiraiya didn't pull back, she took it. She read the letter and after each sentence her eyes narrowed more and her face became redder.

"Damn it, Kakashi!" She yelled frustrated as she thrust the letter back into Jiraiya's hands. "He doesn't trust me!"

"Yes, he does. He just worries about you. He asked me this favor and I couldn't well refuse because I was heading this way also. Really, Yuushi, you need to calm down." He ended noticing the look of anger plastered on the young woman's face.

Yuushi huffed and crossed her arms. She saw the fatherly look Jiraiya was giving her, so she took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Fine. Okay, let's get going. I need to reach the next village by tomorrow morning."

"You've been traveling too much lately. You'll run yourself down."

"I'm fine. I just want to find Itachi and then go home." Yuushi said off-handed.

"You must know that Itachi isn't going to hear you out without a fight." Jiraiya said.

"I know that, but I'll be fine if it comes to that. He may be more skilled than I am, but I sparred with him for many years. I know his tricks and I know how to get past his Sharingan." Yuushi said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, whatever you say, Yuushi. But, again, I don't question how you have so many near death experiences anymore."

* * *

Kakashi lay in bed freezing listening to the heavy rain and strong winds. Yugao had confirmed that he had contracted pneumonia. She was checking on him every hour. He had never known how motherly she was.

He heard a knock at his door. "Kakashi, may I come in?" Yugao asked.

"Yes." Kakashi answered in a quiet raspy voice.

"I brought you some soup. You need to stay warm and this weather isn't helping." She said coming to sit in a chair next to his bed. "Can you sit up?"

Kakashi tried to push himself up so his back was against the headboard. His arms shook violently and his right arm gave out causing him to nearly fall out of bed.

"Oh!" Yugao cried out unable to help. "Tenzo, I need your help!"

Tenzo came into the room quickly and saw the state his senpai was in. Kakashi tried to move himself, but the best he could do was roll over. Tenzo sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Kakashi's arm over his shoulders; he pulled Kakashi up and propped him against the headboard.

"Thank you, Tenzo." Kakashi rasped out.

Tenzo stepped out of the room to finish the report he was writing.

Yugao moved herself closer to the bed and began to feed Kakashi.

"You have no idea how embarrassing this is." Kakashi told her. He gave a chuckle that turned into a hacking cough.

"Don't worry, Senpai, I won't tell anyone about how you were so week you needed your subordinates to take care of you." Yugao smiled.

Kakashi continued to eat the soup Yugao offered him. He felt more relaxed and less worried when the hot soup warmed his body. When the soup was gone, Yugao pulled back and went to the kitchen to clean up. She came back moments later, Tenzo following her. Tenzo leaned on the bed and helped pulled Kakashi into a laying position again.

Yugao stood back and watched Kakashi as his breathing became raspy. He coughed and she could hear that his lungs were filled with liquid. She moved to the side of his bed and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. He was burning up and his face was very pale. Yugao went to the small closet in Kakashi's room and got another blanket for him. Although he had a fever, his body was shaking with cold.

"I hate this." Kakashi said. "I just want to get back to Konoha. It's so damn cold in this country."

"I know, Kakashi, but you're in no condition to be traveling in this weather. We have to wait for the storms to pass, and for you to become stronger. You can't even raise yourself into a sitting position. You're not going anywhere for a few days." Yugao told him before leaving the room.

Kakashi lay there trying to get warm. He could still hear the roaring winds and the heavy rain. This country was very different from Fire Country. He just wanted to be home, recovering in his own bed. As he thought about all the warm things in Konoha he heard Tenzo and Yugao whispering outside his door. They seemed to be arguing.

"He's getting worse. If he doesn't get some true medical help soon, he may never recover from this." Yugao told him.

"Then shouldn't we get him to a hospital?" Tenzo asked.

"You saw how weak he is; he can't even sit up in bed. And in this weather, no doctor is going to come to the inn to check on a sick ninja. It's a monsoon out there, not to mention the wind makes it so cold." Yugao argued.

Kakashi didn't want to hear them talk about how weak he was anymore. He blocked their voices out and closed his eyes, figuring he should get some rest. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Yuushi's smiling face.

_Now, that's something warm to think about_. He thought smiling.


	17. Chapter 17: The Hokage's Daughter

Chapter 17: The Hokage's Daughter

Yuushi had lost track of Jiraiya, yet again. The last time she had gone looking for him, she found him peaking at the women in the hot springs. So, she decided to start there first. She stealthily looked around the corner trying to see if he was there; he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Hmm, where is he?" Yuushi asked herself. "He's not in the marketplace, he's not at the hot springs, and he's not in any of the bars or taverns."

Giving up on her quest to find Jiraiya, Yuushi went to a small tea house to look over the map she had been marking. She sat down, ordered some hot tea, and pulled out her map. She rolled it out on the table and studied the borders between countries. She had made red pen marks along the borders between Waterfall country and Earth country, Grass country and Earth country, Rain country and Earth country, and Rain country and Wind country. These were the areas she deem 'dangerous to a Leaf Village shinobi.' As of now, she and Jiraiya were located in Grass country just west of the border to Fire country. Looking at the map, the only ways to enter Rain country were between the borders of Rain and Grass, or travel through Fire country and enter Rain country from that border. She grimaced thinking about what would happen if she chose to go through Fire country. She would get stopped by border control, she'd have to give her name and registration number, and then when they got confirmation, she'd be accused of identity theft because she's supposed to be dead.

"Ugh, this is going to be more difficult than I thought." Yuushi sighed.

"What's going to be more difficult?" A male voice asked.

Yuushi turned around and saw the very man she had been searching for.

"Itachi." She whispered.

"Hello, Yuushi. I was wondering when I'd see you again." He greeted. He held out his hand to her and said, "Why don't we find a more private place to speak."

"Alright." She said taking his hand. She rolled up her map, put a few coins on the table, and left with Itachi.

They walked through the small streets of the village. Yuushi noticed the strange garb Itachi was wearing; a long black cloak with red clouds on it, blue sandals with white stockings, and a straw hat hid his identity. Itachi led her into a dimly lit hidden building. Yuushi noticed a lot of shady looking people gathered at a table in the back corner.

"Are you alone?" Itachi asked when they sat down at a small table.

"No, I'm traveling with Master Jiraiya, but he disappeared on me again." Yuushi answered.

"Why are you here?"

"I was searching for you. But you came to me, so I guess I don't have to look anymore."

"You should leave; go home, back to Konoha." Itachi said calmly, but Yuushi saw the anger in his eyes.

"I can't go home. I'm not ready to go home yet." Yuushi told him not meeting his gaze.

"What's stopping you?"

"Well…I'm kind of…supposed to be dead." She answered scratching the back of her head.

"What?" Itachi was honestly confused.

"A little over a year ago, I was sent on a mission, more to exile me than to get anything of importance done, but there was an accident; I lost my entire team and nearly died myself. I declared dead by the Third Hokage, but Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade helped me recover. It took nearly three months for me to be in decent physical condition again. Then I started my own mission to find you." Yuushi explained, leaving out many details.

"What did you do to be exiled?"

"I was snooping in my father's office and I came across a very compromising file that had to do with the Uchiha family and an order given by the Third Hokage to massacre the members of that family." She said nonchalantly.

She saw Itachi's chest pause as he held his breath; he hadn't expected anyone to find out. His eyes were boring into hers. He was searching for anything that would tell him she was lying.

"What do you know exactly?" Itachi asked in a whisper.

"I know that your father was at the head of an organization of Uchiha members who planned to overthrow the hokage. I know that you were recruited to spy on your own family and on a given order, kill them all. But what I don't understand is that even though you killed your entire family, you couldn't kill your little brother. I know that after you committed the massacre, you exiled yourself, never to return to Konoha or the Land of Fire, and that you joined an organization called Akatsuki which is made up of missing-nin from various countries.

"My father couldn't have any of that information leaked to other countries of even the people of Konoha. I was interrogated, tortured for the information I knew and exiled in hopes that I would die, for a dead man tells no tales. I was sent on a mission with S-class criminals. We were stationed in the Land of Earth when it happened; an attack by a monster created by the government destroyed the village in the south, killed countless people, including my teammates, and nearly killed me." Yuushi explained watching Itachi the entire time she spoke for his reaction.

"Why did you want to find me?" Itachi asked.

"I just felt that I needed to let you know that I knew. I understand now what happened, why you insisted on leaving and never returning. For a long time I thought you had gone insane, but after I read those files, I knew what I had to do."

"How did you even get into the Hokage's office, Yuushi?" She could tell he was stalling; he was keeping a close eye on her movements and the men in the corner who he was facing.

"Why are you stalling?" Yuushi asked looking him in the eye.

"Those men have been listening to our conversation. I'm sure they've figured out that I'm with Akatsuki. They live close enough to the Land of Rain to know of our organization. And I'm sure it looks suspicious that I'm meeting a beautiful young woman like you." Itachi smirked.

Yuushi snorted. "Beautiful young woman, huh? Yeah, you should know best that I'm far from a proper woman. Hey, do you mind if we go somewhere else? I promise I'll tell you anything you want to know. Those men are starting to unsettle me. They've been staring at me too long."

Itachi gave a curt nod and placed the straw hat on his head again. The couple stood up and Itachi placed his hand on Yuushi's lower back. She turned her head quickly to stare at him, silently asking what he was doing.

"Just, go with it. It will be the fastest way to get you out of here without getting into a fight." Itachi said quietly.

She gave a small nod and leaned into his embrace.

_Man, this feels like old times. Trying to act like a couple to get out of trouble. It never worked back then, but I mean we were only like nine years old. Who would believe that?_ Yuushi shifted her eyes to the men at the table. _Please don't get up. Please don't get up._ She pleaded silently.

They finally reached the exit and left the creepy dark building. They relocated in a secluded part of a small park. They checked the area to make sure they weren't followed or were being watched. When they deemed the area 'all clear' they resumed their conversation.

"So, you were asking how I managed to get into the Hokage's office?" Yuushi confirmed.

Itachi nodded. He had taking the hat off again, so she could see his face.

"Well…"

_The streets were deserted as Yuushi made her way to the Hokage Tower. Night had settled in and there was no moon to give her position away. She wore all black to keep undercover. She reached the tower without and problems and slipped in the entrance avoiding all the traps she knew were set. Walking on her toes to avoid making any unnecessary noise, Yuushi climbed the large staircase that lead to the Hokage's office._

_There it was, the door to her father's office. Surprisingly there were no guards around. It felt a bit suspicious, but she carried on. She knelt down so she was in front on the keyhole. Pulling a bobby pin from her short hair, she used it to pick the lock with ease. She turned the knob and the door swung open. She stepped over the trip wire that she knew was there, but couldn't see. Once she stepped over the wire, she knew she was safe._

_She pulled a small flashlight from her kunai pouch and turned it on, pointing it toward the wall that was covered in drawers which held all the files on the village's shinobi. She found the drawer that contained the information about many of the shinobi from the Uchiha clan. It took her a while to locate Itachi's file due to the limited visibility, but she found it. _

_Yuushi took a deep breath and checked her surroundings again before opening the file. The first piece of paper that greeted her was the information sheet that showed Itachi's most recent picture, registration number, and classification which was stamped with 'Missing-nin, S-class criminal.' She turned that piece of paper over and began going through the many articles that told the story of Itachi's life as a ninja. The old reports from when they were first put into a team together, Itachi's first mission during the conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, his missions as a captain in the ANBU black ops, and his last act in Konoha of massacring the Uchiha clan. The last bit of information unsettled her; she took a shaky breath as she began to read through the report. Yuushi read about how Itachi's father, Fugaku, was the head of an organization planning to overthrow the Hokage and how Itachi had been a spy living among his family. The Hokage had given the order for Itachi to keep an eye on his father and his whereabouts. When the situation had become too great to not be noticed anymore, the Hokage had given Itachi the order to massacre the Uchiha clan, to leave no one alive._

_Yuushi could feel her chest heaving and the tears running down her face as she read what her former teammate and friend had been ordered to do and what her father had ordered to be done. She had never known why Itachi's personality changed so quickly. One day he had been friendly to her and talking to her, and the next he had killed his entire family. She went back to the first page of the report to reread it; she wanted to make sure she hadn't read it wrong. She whispered the lines of the report to herself. She stopped reading when she heard a sudden noise. She began to look up, but her sight was cut off when a black cloth bag was placed over her head. She cried out when she felt a heavy body holding her arms behind her back and securing her on the ground._

"_What should we do with her?" A voice asked._

"_Inform the elders. I'll bring her to an interrogation room; tell them to meet me there." The man holding her down said._

_Yuushi heard the telltale sound of someone teleporting out of the office. She felt the man holding her arms with one hand pull her up from the ground. She stayed silent; she knew she was caught and she would face dire consequences. _

"_Come on, start walking." The man said pushing her forward._

"_You know, it's kind of hard to walk when I can't see a damn thing." Yuushi answered sarcastically._

"_Sure." He said holding her arms, which were bound, and directing her out of the office and down the staircase._

_Without her sight, the walk to the interrogation room felt like miles. She heard the clanking of keys as the man who had a hold of her unlocked the room and led her in. He cut the bindings and sat her in a chair. Her arms were placed on the armrests and cuffs were locked over her wrists. Her sight was still cut off by the bag over her head. Her heart was pounding; she didn't know how she was going to get out of this one. A few minutes later, she heard the heavy iron doors open and heard three voices: Homura and Koharu, the village elders, and the Third Hokage, her father. She could hear that they were arguing; probably about her punishment. She could feel the presence of the man that had captured her moving closer. She felt the bag being pulled off her head and shut her eyes quickly when she was greeted by blinding fluorescent lights._

"_Yuushi, explain yourself!" The Hokage yelled; the look in his eyes was furious._

_She could barely speak; all she could do was stare in disbelief at the man she called father. He had abused the trust of the villagers, ordered for the massacre of one of the most powerful families in Konoha, and exiled a man who shouldn't have ever been tasked with killing his own family. _

"_You are being address by the Hokage! Do as you're told!" Koharu yelled._

"_How could you?" Yuushi finally found her voice. "Why would you do such a thing?"_

_Her father's face flashed with guilt, but it was gone in an instant and replaced with superiority. _

"_A Hokage must make a choice for the sake of the people. I made my choice and it was effective." He said showing no emotion._

"_I trusted you. I looked up to you! How can you just stand there when you know it is really you who is responsible for an entire clan's extermination?!" Yuushi yelled back furious._

"_The Hokage does not need to answer to a child!" Homura answered for the silent Hokage._

"_What do you know?" The Hokage asked._

"_I know enough. Enough that would turn the stomachs of anyone in this village." Yuushi answered angry tears welling in her eyes._

"_I repeat, what do you know?" He asked more sternly._

_Yuushi closed her mouth signaling that she was not going to speak._

"_Inoichi, extract any information you can find on the matter." He ordered to the man who had captured her._

"_Yes, Sir!" He answered before performing a series of hand signs._

_Within seconds, Yuushi felt Inoichi's soul taking over her mind and body. She tried to fight him off, but it caused her pain. She could see all of her memories as Inoichi sifted through them. She felt her body screaming, desperately trying to fighting for control. She felt him leave her body._

"_She read through Uchiha Itachi's file. She read the reports about the massacre." Inoichi informed the Hokage._

_The Hokage rubbed his forehead in frustration._

"_See if you can find any other information that may compromise the village." He ordered Inoichi._

_She saw him give a nod and begin to repeat the same hand signs. She was ready for him this time; she only thought of Itachi and the conversation they had had the day before the massacre. Itachi had been happy then and he had been pleasant. Nothing he said had sent up a red flag about anything suspicious happening within the village._

_It was becoming increasingly harder to keep hold of the one memory. The pain was escalating, starting in her head and rushing throughout the rest of her body. She cried out in frustration and pain. Just as she was about the lose control of the single memory, she felt Inoichi leave her mind._

_She was breathing heavily and her eyes were watering. She felt blood flowing across her lips from her nose. She felt like she was about to break; she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer._

_Out of the corner of her eye she saw Inoichi performing the hand signs again. She thought of a different memory, one of her brothers. A memory of when they were still a decent family. She felt a wave of nostalgia, anger, and sadness all at once, and she broke. She felt Inoichi sifting through all of her memories again at top speed. The pain was increasing again. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, he left her mind._

_Her body and mind were exhausted; her breathing was coming in gasps; her eyesight was blurred; she could taste the blood on her tongue as it ran over her lips. She couldn't take anymore._

"_Sir." She heard Inoichi address the Hokage. What he told her father she didn't know. She was losing consciousness._

"_What should we do with her, Sarutobi?" Homura asked._

"_Execute her. We cannot have this information leaked." Koharu answered._

"_No!" Sarutobi countered quickly. "No, we cannot execute her, but we can exile her."_

"_You are blinded by the fact that she is your daughter, Sarutobi. She is a liability and she must be taken care of." Homura agreed with Koharu._

"_No, we will exile her. Attach her name to the roster for the mission tomorrow morning with the others." Sarutobi gave the final word._

_She felt her father draw nearer to her. He knelt in front of her to look her in the eye._

"_Yuushi, as your father-"_

"_You are no father of mine!" Yuushi yelled with all the strength she could muster._

_Blood flecked her father's face from her outburst. His eyes were sad, but she didn't care. He had betrayed her, tortured her for information, and treated her like a pawn._

"_Yuushi, listen to me." He pleaded._

"_No, you listen to me, you son of a bitch!" Yuushi yelled. "You could have done better. You have no family left. You just lost the last one in it. I don't trust you. You're sick and twisted! I'll be glad to be sent away from this village, away from you!" She was gasping again; it took too much energy to yell._

"_If that is your choice, then so be it." He was the Hokage again. He was acting as the superior. Yuushi couldn't lift her head, but she saw his feet retreating toward the iron doors. The elders followed suit, but before they exited, Koharu gave the order to have Yuushi taken back to her apartment and given the mission scroll for the next morning._

"And I went through the mission hoping that I would never have to see my father again. I desperately wanted to fins you, Itachi." Yuushi finished tears flowing down her cheeks. She had never told anyone what had happened before she was sent on the mission, not even Jiraiya.

"Yuushi…" Itachi started. "I don't know what to say." He stayed quiet for a few moments allowing Yuushi to regain control of herself. "Would you be interested in coming back with me to Amegakure and be a member of Akatsuki?"

Yuushi stared at him shocked and silent.

* * *

**Next time**: Yuushi's answer and Kakashi's recovery. It will be written in split perspective again. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've been struggling with the timing for writing what happened before the mission began. Please review; I want your feedback.

Thanks for reading,

Yuushi-chan


	18. Chapter 18: Something Isn't Right

Chapter 18: Something Isn't Right

Yuushi didn't know what to say. Itachi patiently waited for her answer. She weighed her options, making a pro-con list in her mind.

_If I join Akatsuki, I may never be able to go home, or ever see Kakashi again. But I may find out information I can provide to the Hidden Leaf Village. For a while now, Akatsuki has been a dark cloud on the horizon; just an idea of what trouble is to come._

"May I think about it?" Yuushi finally spoke.

"You may, but I will need your answer soon." Itachi told her.

"I will find you as soon as I make up my mind."

"Good. I have things to do. I'll be seeing you soon." Itachi stood up and turned his back to her.

He started when he felt her grab him from behind.

"Sorry." Yuushi said pulling away. "I know you don't like close contact, but I've missed you. You were once a very good friend of mine."

Itachi gave a curt nod before disappearing from sight.

Yuushi sighed, "This is a difficult decision. If I decide to join the Akatsuki and Itachi finds out it's because I want to gain information…he'll probably kill me."

"What are you going on about, Yuushi?" A voice said next to her.

"Oh, Jiraiya! There you are. Where the hell have you been?" She burst.

"I was doing research." He said straight.

"What kind of research?" Yuushi said unconvinced.

"It seems, Orochimaru was a part of Akatsuki after all. A gang from the underground of this village has been in contact with him. He defected from Akatsuki about five years ago." Jiraiya explained.

"I see." Yuushi turned away trying to decide how she would respond to Itachi's offer.

"Now, what were you saying to yourself? What decision are you making now?" Jiraiya pressed.

Yuushi didn't know if she should tell him; she stayed quiet and turned her head away from Jiraiya. She could feel him staring at her.

"Yuushi, what did you do this time? You're only quiet when you've misbehaved." Jiraiya sighed,

"I met up with Itachi." She finally said.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "And?"

"We talked. I told him what I needed to tell him, and then…" Yuushi paused.

"And then what?" Jiraiya had a concerned look on his face.

Yuushi took a deep breath. "He made me an offer. I'm unsure how I want to proceed."

"What kind of offer was it?"

"He offered to bring me to the Akatsuki and become a member of the organization." Yuushi couldn't meet his gaze.

"What did you say?" Jiraiya looked shocked and a little angry.

"I told him I would think about it. I don't know what to say." She said quietly.

"Well, the answer should be easy; it's no." Jiraiya noticed that she stayed quiet. "Right?"

"I…I…"

"Yuushi." Jiraiya said in a warning tone.

"I don't know. It may be helpful to gather information from a closer perspective." She said nervously.

"Yuushi." He warned again.

"I want to go home, though, and I know that it will not be possible to go home again if I join Akatsuki, but…"

"No, no buts. If you're not ready to head back to the Hidden Leaf Village, you can travel with me. I won't allow you to put yourself in anymore danger." Jiraiya said placing a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Okay." Yuushi smiled up at him. "I'll go with you, but I'll have to give Itachi my answer."

"Do you have to meet with him again?"

"Yes, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye last time. I won't let that happen again." Yuushi said.

"Well, find him quickly, I want to leave this village as soon as possible." Jiraiya told her.

"Yeah, sure, where should we meet up?" Yuushi asked.

"Meet me at the eastern gate in half an hour. If you're ten minutes late, I'll come looking for you."

"Got it, I'll meet you in half an hour." Yuushi said before running off in the opposite direction.

_I have a nagging feeling Itachi is not going to like my answer._ Yuushi thought, tracking her former teammate.

* * *

Kakashi sat in bed shaking and weak. His clothes were drenched in cold sweat, but his fever was down and he could breathe without coughing.

He heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Senpai, may I come in?" Tenzo asked.

"Come in." Kakashi answered in a voice that was stronger than it had been in the last few days.

"Senpai, how are you feeling? The rain has let up. Are you well enough to travel?" Tenzo asked.

"I'm feeling much better. I'll have to test my legs, but I should be well enough to travel today." Kakashi told him.

"Good, you sound much better today, too. I'll go tell Yugao." Tenzo left the room, but kept the door open.

Kakashi took a deep breath and didn't go into a coughing fit. He pushed the blankets off his legs and shivered as the cold touched his skin. His legs still felt weak, but he placed them over the side of the bed and stood up. His legs shook, but he was still fairly stable.

Yugao stood in the doorway watching her senpai test his strength.

"You've gotten more color in your face, Senpai." She stated and he looked up smiling.

"It's good to feel better. I hate being a burden to my teammates. Thank you for taking care of me." Kakashi said giving a slight bow.

"Don't worry about it, Kakashi. We couldn't just stand by and do nothing." Yugao said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, thank you. I believe I am well enough to travel back to the village. Tenzo mentioned that the rain had let up."

"Yes, the wind has died down and the rain stopped early this morning. It's a three day journey, are you well enough to travel for three days?" Yugao was concerned.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot of strength coming back into my limbs. We may have to stop more often than usual, but I'll be fine." Kakashi tried to reassure her.

"Okay, get your stuff packed. I want to leave before the rain starts again." Yugao said.

"Sure, my stuff is all packed. I'm just going to change my clothes and then we can leave." Kakashi told her shooing her from the room.

He closed the door and took a deep breath.

_It's going to be a long three days. I'm still so weak, but I just want to leave this damn country._ Kakashi thought as he started to strip his clothes off. It proved to be a difficult task as his clothes were drenched in cold sweat and sticking to his body.

Finally he was dressed and his soiled clothing was packed away in his bag. When he went into the common room he saw Yugao standing at the door watching Tenzo. Apparently he wasn't moving as fast as she'd like.

"Get moving, Tenzo, we don't have all day." Kakashi ordered.

Tenzo began to pack faster and in no time all three of them were on their way back to the village.

Just as they exited the country, Kakashi asked them to stop. He could barely walk right now, let alone run. They stopped and Kakashi dropped to his knees gasping.

"Kakashi!" Yugao exclaimed and ran over to him.

Kakashi had gone into a coughing fit and the muscles in his legs were starting to spasm.

"Maybe we should rest here for the night." Tenzo suggested.

"No, no, we have to keep going." Kakashi wheezed out. "I'll be fine, but I don't want to stop here; besides, there are still a few hours until the sun sets. We should make the most of our time."

"Yes, but with you in your condition that may not be the best option." Yuago stated.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going." Kakashi said before taking a drink of water from his canteen.

Yugao looked nervously at Tenzo who gave a short nod. Tenzo knew better than to oppose his higher ups. If Kakashi wanted to keep going, they shouldn't get in his way. Yugao stepped away from Kakashi as he stood up; at once they resumed traveling together, jumping into the trees, Kakashi in the lead.

_I need to get back to the village as soon as possible. Something doesn't feel right. I also need to see Asuma right away when I get back to the village; I need to make sure Yuushi is staying in contact._ Kakashi was running through everything he needed to do when he got back; he felt like his mind was running a mile a minute.

"Kakashi, slow down. Don't push yourself so hard." Yugao called to him from behind.

Kakashi stopped on a branch ahead of him and waited for the other two to catch up. They stopped on either side of him and looked at him.

"Something doesn't feel right. I want to get back to the village as soon as possible." Kakashi said without looking at either of them. Without saying a word, Kakashi started traveling again. He felt their presence just behind him as he ran at top speed.

"What doesn't feel right? What's going on Kakashi?" Tenzo asked.

"Yuushi has been keeping in touch with Asuma, but her updates have become increasingly worrisome. I know where she's heading and I'm worried that Asuma isn't going to get a letter from her soon." Kakashi told them.

"Yuushi? Sarutobi Yuushi? I thought she was dead." Tenzo said.

"She's supposed to be, but she isn't. I ran into her on my mission in Waterfall Country. She was traveling with Master Jiraiya for a time, but she's traveling on her own now." Kakashi explained.

"Kakashi, where is she heading? Is this mission she's on going to restrict her from ever coming back to the Hidden Leaf Village?" Yugao asked.

"I can't tell you where she's headed; I promised her I wouldn't leak that information, but I can tell you that it may be possible that this mission may bar her from ever returning to the village." Kakashi said in a quiet voice.

Yugao and Tenzo looked at each other silently.

"Don't fall behind!" Kakashi called to them as he moved ahead.

"Yes, Sir!" They responded and picked up their pace.

Two days later, the team arrived in Konoha exhausted and desperately wanting to get back to their homes. Kakashi went straight to the Hokage Tower to give his report to the hokage and then went to the hospital.

"Kakashi-san, what seems to be the problem?" The doctor asked when she entered the examination room.

"I have pneumonia." He rasped out.

"What makes you say that?" She asked writing a few things down on her chart.

"Uzuki Yugao diagnosed me while we were on our mission. I have moisture in my lungs, was very cold despite the fact that I have a high fever, and I couldn't breathe without coughing." Kakashi explained.

"Well, I'd say Uzuki-san diagnosed you very well, and you seem to be better, so I assume she took the necessary steps in helping you recover." The doctor said. "Now, I want to check your lungs." She placed the stethoscope on his chest and told him to take deep breaths. "Well, I hear some crackling. I'm going to write you a prescription to help keep the fever down and to help dry up the liquid in your lungs."

"Thank you, doctor." Kakashi said getting off the examination table.

"And I want you to get plenty of rest and drink a lot of water. Give this note to the hokage. I don't think you're fit to go on any missions for the next week." The doctor said handing Kakashi the prescription and the note.

"Alright, well thank you." Kakashi said leaving the room.

Instead of heading toward the Hokage Tower, he made his way to Asuma's apartment. He knocked on the door hastily and heard Asuma's voice from inside.

"I'll be there in a minute." Asuma called.

Kakashi was becoming impatient as he waited for Asuma to answer the door. Finally, Asuma came to the door and looked surprised to see Kakashi standing there.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Asuma asked.

"Expecting someone else?" Kakashi asked annoyed. Kakashi let himself in, walking past Asuma and standing in his kitchen.

"Uh, no, I'm not expecting anyone. So, why are you here?" Asuma changed the subject.

"Did Yuushi send another letter?" Kakashi asked getting to the point.

"Yeah, she did. Here." Asuma said handing Kakashi the letter. "It arrived last two days ago."

_Dear Asuma,_

_I've been travelling for three days without much rest. I'm not any closer to finding my target. The word amongst criminals is that the hideout is somewhere in Amegakure. I'm making my way there. Lately, I've felt a presence that lingers not far behind me everywhere I go. I'm keeping my eyes open and being as cautious as I can. I'll return as soon as I possibly can. Tell Kakashi I miss him. I love you, Brother._

_Yuushi_

Kakashi put a hand in his hair and grabbed a fistful. He knew his gut feeling wasn't wrong; she was in trouble.

"Kakashi, don't get too worked up. I received another letter from her this morning." Asuma said handing the second piece of paper.

_Dear Asuma,_

_I was right about being followed; it was Jiraiya. We're traveling together again. I'm currently in Grass Country and I came in contact with Itachi; things went well. I'm going to continue traveling with Jiraiya; I don't know how long this is going to delay my return to the village. I know Kakashi will read this whether you want him to or not, so, Kakashi, I'm fine, I'm well, I love you. _

_Yuushi_

"Good, she's with Master Jiraiya." Kakashi said.

"That was my reaction as well when I read that letter." Asuma said watching Kakashi. "There's only one thing I'm concerned about."

"Itachi."

"Exactly, there's something wrong. She says things went well, but I think there's more to it."

Kakashi read through the letter again and nodded his head.

"It certainly sounds like she deliberately left something out." Kakashi said before handing the letter back to Asuma. "Thanks for the info, Asuma. I have to get going; I'll see you later."

Kakashi left Asuma's apartment and decided he should probably go see the hokage before going home. He was finally in peace of mind knowing that Yuushi was with Master Jiraiya again.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Yuushi ran toward the meeting place to meet with Itachi. She was expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. She had told Jiraiya she would leave with him and not join the Akatsuki, but as she was getting ready to give Itachi her answer, she wasn't so sure of what she wanted to do.

Itachi sat in a tea house, Akatsuki robes covering his entire body, save for his face above his nose and his feet. Yuushi felt his eyes on her as she approached him.

"Itachi, I've decided." Yuushi spoke.

"And what is your answer?" Itachi asked.

Yuushi took a deep breath, "I've decided against joining the Akatsuki. I will head back to Konoha and face my father."

"I see." Itachi answered. "I suppose you should be on your way, then."

"Yes." Yuushi said with much apprehension in her voice. She paused, staring at him for a few moments. "That's it? No fight? No ultimatum?"

"It was an offer, Yuushi. You could accept it of refuse it as you wished."

"Goodbye, Itachi." Yuushi said turning to leave.

"Goodbye."

Yuushi walked away from the tea house slowly, looking back often. Even though he was letting her go peacefully, she didn't let her guard down. The last time she looked before leaving the street, Itachi had vanished.

She was almost to the city gates; Yuushi saw Jiraiya standing there, waiting and looking very bored. Yuushi rolled her eyes; he really did hate waiting.

"I thought I'd be waiting longer." Jiraiya said surprised to see her.

"So did I." Yuushi said. "He didn't want to fight; Itachi let me go right after I gave him my answer."

"Well, then, let's not waste any more time and head out." Jiraiya turned and started walking out of the village.

Yuushi left a minute behind him, a heavy weight sinking in her chest; something felt out of place. She checked her surroundings, but everything was as it should be. She still felt uneasy as they made their way east toward Fire Country.

* * *

Night came, and they were forced to make camp. They were only ten miles from the border, still in Grass Country. Yuushi still had an uneasy feeling as they set up camp. Her uneasiness had increased with the arrival of night. They were close to the large river that divided Grass from Fire. Yuushi approached the river by herself, a canteen in her hand.

She was at the edge of the river when she heard a sharp snap of a twig. She pretended to continued filling the canteen. They were close to the large river that divided Grass from Fire. Yuushi approached the river by herself, a canteen in her hand.

She was at the edge of the river when she heard a sharp snap of a twig. She pretended to continued filling the canteen as she pulled a kunai from her pouch. Her eyes never stopped moving, watching for any sign of movement in the darkness; her body relaxed when she saw an iguana step out toward the river. She tensed as she felt a sharp change in her senses; a change in a chakra signature close by. It was then that she realized how foolish she had been. She screwed the lid back on the canteen and made her way back to the camp, the kunai still in her hand.

Yuushi approached the campsite. She could see Jiraiya's back; he was sitting facing the campfire. She was quiet as she approached; Yuushi raised the kunai in her right hand. In a swift motion she grabbed Jiraiya and pressed the kunai to his throat.

"Yuushi, what are you doing?! Have you finally lost it?" Jiraiya yelled.

"Who are you?" Yuushi growled in his ear.

Jiraiya stayed quiet, not moving from his position.

Show yourself!" Yuushi yelled.

In a puff of smoke, Jiraiya disappeared and was replaced by another man. A much smaller man dressed in Akatsuki robes sat in front of Yuushi with her kunai pressed against his throat.

"Hehe, you got me." The man spoke. "Tell me, what gave it away?"

"Jiraiya has many scars across his chest from when Lady Tsunade beat him for peeking in the women's bath. When you removed your shirt earlier, the scars were missing. At first I dismissed it, believing the scars must have healed completely. Also, you didn't hide your own chakra very well; I felt a strong surge of your chakra when I was at the river just now." Yuushi explained. "It was almost perfect."

"You've developed your skills, Yuushi."

"I couldn't let you get the upper hand like last time, now could I, Hidan?" Yuushi said silkily.

In an instant, Hidan grabbed his scythe sitting next to him and swung it behind him. Yuushi backed away quickly, avoiding the scythe entirely.

"Why are you here?" Yuushi asked keeping her distance.

"To obtain you, of course. I would have much rather sacrificed you to Lord Jashin, but Itachi warned me that he would destroy me if I didn't bring you back alive." Hidan told her.

"Wait…Itachi?" Yuushi asked. "He let me go."

"Yes, and then he sent me to gather you."

"Where's Jiraiya?" Yuushi began to panic.

He was never there. You see, the plan was that if you agreed to join Akatsuki, there was no need for me, but if you refused, as Itachi expected you would, I was to make you believe I was Jiraiya and have you follow me toward Konoha. Whadya think, aren't I a great actor?" Hidan asked with a chuckle.

"I figured you out, didn't I?" Yuushi deadpanned.

Hidan's face changed; he was no longer smirking. His mouth turned to a straight line, his eyebrows bent toward his eyes. He ran forward, scythe in hand charging at Yuushi. Just as he swung down, Yuushi jumped backward, her feet sticking to the tree behind her. She ran upward and darted through the tree tops. She needed to find a way to get rid of Hidan.

She could hear him laughing manically as he chased her through the trees; his voice closer than it was before. Yuushi jumped down from the trees and made a sharp left turn, trying to throw him off her trail in the dark. She didn't stop running. She noticed silence, but kept her eyes moving. She turned her head to see behind her. When she faced forward, she stopped in her tracks; there he was standing only feet from where she was standing. She paused, feeling her heart begin to race; her body was stuck, unmoving. The fear was closing in a Hidan approached her, an animalistic look in his eyes. Yuushi felt her breathing come faster, her heart beating erratically, and her eyes began to lose vision as everything became black. She felt like there was hot venom rushing through her veins as her heart raced. At the final moment when she thought her body was going to explode, it stopped and she felt unconsciousness take over, her knees touching the ground.

* * *

Kakashi stood in the training field, his newest group of students standing in front of him. The bell test was just about to begin. He was bored and didn't expect these kids to pas the test, just as all the others had failed previously.

"Start!" Kakashi exclaimed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared a few hundred feet away where he could watch them react. All three ran for a good hiding place.

Kakashi walked back toward the starting point, noting where all of the kids were hidden.

"At least they've chosen their hiding places well." Kakashi said to himself. He saw a wave of shuriken fly out from a bush about one-hundred feet away. Kakashi grabbed a kunai from his pouch and deflected all the shuriken flying toward him.

Kakashi saw the boy run from his spot knowing he had let his position be known. Kakashi waited to see if the other two were going to make a move; they didn't, and Kakashi followed the boy to his new position. He heard movement and realized quickly that the other two were hurrying to find new hiding spots.

Kakashi had to give them credit; they were smarter and more organized than his previous failed students. He stopped to locate their new positions. He felt a disturbance in the back of his mind; he identified it as genjutsu. The girl was smart and quite talented with genjutsu, for a genin, but it was weak and she was only thinking about herself. Each and every one of them could care less about their teammates.

Kakashi followed her chakra signature to locate her position and engaged her in taijutsu. She definitely only had a little skill, if any, in hand to hand combat. Kakashi took her out quickly and moved on to the next one.

* * *

After two hours of chasing after the three brats, Kakashi was bored and unimpressed. He failed them of course; they exhibited no potential and no teamwork. He had sent them back to the academy. They just weren't ready to be ninja.

Kakashi sat on his bed in his tiny apartment writing up the report on why he sent the three students back to the academy. The Third never criticized or commented on Kakashi's decisions to fail all of the students who had been assigned to him. He finished the report and set it aside to take a nap.

'I can turn in that report later.' Kakashi thought. Not long after, he was fast asleep snoring lightly.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky casting long shadows across the floor of the apartment. Kakashi stirred and woke up, his mouth dry and his body sluggish. Kakashi sat up slowly, his joints popping and muscles stretching.

"I guess I should turn in that report before the Third sends someone to look for me." Kakashi said to himself.

His bare feet touched the floor, warmed by the sun. Kakashi slipped his sandals on his feet, replaced his headband, and grabbed the report before leaving his apartment.

It was Friday evening and the people of Konoha were mingling in the streets; going on dates, meeting friends and colleagues, and enjoying the calm summer evening. Kakashi paused when he heard a yelp of surprise from a young woman near him. He turned and saw a flash of orange race past him.

'Naruto,' Kakashi thought. 'What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?'

"Seriously, what is wrong with that kid?" Kakashi heard someone ask.

'Too bad no one followed the Fourth's final wishes that Naruto would be seen as a hero and not the nine-tailed fox itself.' Kakashi thought as he continued on his way to the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi knocked and heard the unmistakable voice of the Third Hokage telling him to enter. He stepped through the doorway, report in hand.

"Ah, Kakashi there you are. I was wondering when I'd be receiving your report." The Third spoke smiling at the young man.

Kakashi gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Hokage-sama. I got caught up on the road of life."

"Don't use your petty lies to me, Kakashi. I know you better than that. You were probably at the memorial stone again, were you not?" The Third watched Kakashi closely.

Kakashi chuckled nervously again. "Uh…actually I was sleeping." He said trailing off quietly.

The Third sweat-dropped hearing Kakashi's answer. "I see; well, what's done is done. Where is your report?"

"Here, Sir." Kakashi handed the report to the old man.

The Hokage looked through Kakashi's report quietly. Kakashi wasn't too worried about what he would say to him. The Hokage looked up and stared at Kakashi with a straight face.

"I do not disagree with your decision to send these three back to the academy, but you know as well as I do that Asagi Kimiko's parents will be bringing the matter of her failure up with me." The Third said.

"I understand, and if you would allow me to explain." Kakashi started. The Third nodded for him to continue. "Kimiko showed talent, particularly in genjutsu. She just needs time to develop her other skills. I believe after another year, she will pass and become a genin."

"Thank you for your explanation, Kakashi. I will inform Kimiko's parents of your explanation and assure them that she will improve greatly in one year's time. You may leave." The Hokage dismissed him.

Kakashi bowed and left the office. When Kakashi stepped outside that Hokage Tower, he noticed the sky was now a purple color; the sun was setting fast. He thought about what he wanted to do for the next few hours, and his stomach made the decision for him.

'Last I looked, I was out of food and needed to go grocery shopping.' Kakashi thought. 'Meh, I can do it tomorrow. I'll just get take out tonight.'

Kakashi made his way to his favorite restaurant and thought about what had happened on his way to his meeting with the Third. Naruto, he realized, had looked quite upset as he ran past him.

'The other kids must have been picking on him again.' Kakashi thought.

Kakashi have reached that soup restaurant/grill he liked to eat at and stepped through the doors. He walked up to the counter and was greeted by the owner.

"Bonsowa-ru Kakashi." The elderly woman said. "How are you?"

"Bonsowa-ru baba." Kakashi greeted back. This woman had looked after him for many years after his father had died. She had always made sure he was well fed and had a place to sleep; he was grateful for her consideration. "I'm doing well. How are you?"

"Tired, but enjoying the young faces that come in here everyday." She smiled at Kakashi. "What can I get you today, Kakashi?"

"Miso with eggplant." Kakashi answered. "And can I get it to go?"

"Of course, dear." She said. As she turned around and walked away, Kakashi heard her mumble, "Never orders anything different."

Kakashi chuckled to himself and leaned against the wall waiting for the old woman to return with his order. He looked around and realized that he knew quite a few of the people in the restaurant today; Shiranui Genma, Yamanaka Inoichi and his wife and daughter, Asuma with his newest girlfriend, and Uzuki Yugao with a young man he didn't recognized, who he presumed was her boyfriend. Kakashi sighed feeling bored and hungry.

The old woman returned to the front of the restaurant to give Kakashi his food. She smiled at Kakashi and handed him the bag that held his miso with eggplant.

"Kakashi, where's that young woman who was always in your company? She was the Hokage's daughter, no? What was her name again?" The old woman asked.

"Yuushi, and yes, she was the Third's daughter. She has been gone some time." Kakashi said quietly.

"Do you know where she is?" She asked.

"All I know is that she is not with us anymore." Kakashi said trying to get the message across; although Kakashi knew Yuushi was not dead, he had to keep the rumor going, so no one asked too many questions.

The old woman's face went blank as she looked at the young man she had come to view as a son.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi." She said quietly tears filling her eyes, but not spilling over.

Kakashi shook his head. "She was missing for a long time; the chances of her being alive were slim."

The old woman stepped closer to Kakashi and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Kakashi you know that I am always here. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kakashi answered. "I'm starving, so I'm going to head back to my apartment."

She nodded and turned away to wait on other customers. Kakashi was about to step out the door when he heard the old woman call to him.

"Oh, Kakashi, don't be a stranger, alright?" She said giving him a warm smile.

Kakashi smiled warmly back at her and walked out the door. He couldn't wait to get home and eat the delicious miso soup with eggplant.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Please comment; I'd love to get your feedback. Suggestions are encouraged.

For those of you who don't know the Japanese I used in this chapter:

Bonsowa-ru: means good evening

Baba: means old woman

Also, just for reference if any of you wanted to know what age Naruto is… Since I have set Kakashi's age at 24 at this point, Naruto is 10.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20: Two Years Later

Chapter 20: Two Years Later

Yuushi lay in a river bed, her lips dipped into the water, sucking the cool liquid down her throat. Her mouth had been so dry. She lifted her face from the water, taking a deep breath. She moved her body feeling the pains from the various cuts and bruises on her body. She felt stiff, but she was able to get past that; all she wanted was to go home now. She hadn't heard anything in a long time on the subject of Konoha. Yuushi had been out of contact with Asuma and Kakashi for almost two years now; the Akatsuki had kept her capture a secret. She never saw herself as anything important and didn't understand for a very long time why the Akatsuki had taken her hostage. And then Itachi had explained it to her; she was valuable, a source of information, and had an interesting kekkei genkai that proved as an asset to the organization, even if she couldn't control it very well. It was true; she was the daughter of a hokage, she had copious amounts of information on not just Konoha, but the Fire Nation as an entirety, and their allies as well. It was information that they were going to use to obtain their goals. Yuushi hadn't understood; they had Itachi, why couldn't they just use the information he could provide. But again, Yuushi was at the center of things, being the daughter of the hokage who had held the office for the longest time.

Yuushi limped toward the trees, toward safety. Even if they hadn't said out loud that they were letting her go, she knew they had. It had been so easy to escape; her bindings had been loosened, the door left unlocked, no guards to stop her. The rain had been falling thickly when she left the fortress; she could barely see anything. Luckily Amegakure was a small country. It hadn't taken long for Yuushi to step over the boundary of Amegakure and into Fire Country. She was finally headed home, and she was positive she would make it this time. She still had a long distance to cover, and her injuries held her back significantly. She was worried about that; she had no kunai, no shuriken, no weapons to defend her person.

While Yuushi was under the supervision of the Akatsuki, she had learned quite a bit about the organization itself, and some about its members. She had met Hidan when she was a chunin; it was the first mission she had led as a squad leader, and she had failed miserably. She had been the only survivor out of four chunin, including herself, and one genin. Her father had been furious with her for weeks, but he didn't understand, didn't know what kind of opponent Hidan had been, how merciless he had been in battle.

Itachi she had known since childhood. Many of the villagers in Konoha had only known Yuushi as the Third Hokage's daughter, or Itachi's teammate. They had been great friends only months after meeting for the first time, but so much had changed over the years. She had felt so lost without him when he left; she had felt betrayed when she heard that Itachi had killed his entire clan, save for his little brother. 'How cruel.' She had thought when she looked at Sasuke after the massacre. She never thought she would see Itachi again, but she didn't know how wrong she had been.

Kisame she only knew had originally been one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. She was strong; many called him a tailed-beast without the tails. She had figured out fairly quickly that all of the Akatsuki members worked in pairs and that Kisame was Itachi's partner.

Kakuzu was Hidan's partner. Past that, she didn't know anything else about him. She had seen him once, but he wore a mask and she couldn't decipher what he really looked like.

Zetsu was just plain creepy, Yuushi had decided. He was a giant venus fly trap, after all! He had a split personality and he often fought with himself. It had terrified her the first time he had come to ask her some questions and keep an eye on her. He had told her that he was the Akatsuki's spy. He was the only member who lacked a partner.

She had heard about Pain and Konan. They were from Amegakure; seen as the liberators of the village and the leaders. Pain was the head leader of Amegakure and Akatsuki. She had never met either of them and knew very little of their abilities.

Sasori of the Red Sand; he, Yuushi had heard stories about. He was a traitor who hailed from Sunagakure. Yuushi learned that he built puppets to be used in battles. He had a partner named Deidara and they were always at odds with each other. Sasori hated waiting, and he was Yuushi's worst interrogator; she didn't speak often. She aggravated him, made him threaten her until she spoke.

Deidara was very artistic, but in his own way. Yuushi had found out very early on that he liked the blow things up; often saying something like, 'Art is a blast!' He was also the youngest member of Akatsuki, only seventeen when he was accepted into the organization.

Yuushi continued on her way, moving through dense forest. She was close to one of the outer provinces. She would hopefully be able to find some shelter there, and possibly some food. Her clothes were damp and the light breeze and cool air of autumn was setting in. She needed to find shelter for the night.

Evening was setting in when Yuushi finally reached the outer province. Some villagers were still tending to their fields and shopping in the market place when she stepped into the little town. She saw a child eating a cookie that looked quite delicious; he stomach rumbled. It was then that she remember she had no money to buy food for herself. A few women took hold of their child's hand as Yuushi walked toward them. She must have looked awful.

Yuushi put her head down and passed the women without making eye contact. She felt the tears burning in her eyes, threatening to fall. She just wanted a place to sleep that didn't give her nightmares, a decent meal, and some dry clothes. She slipped into an alleyway and sat down. The walls hid her from the wind that threatened to freeze her. She pulled her knees to her chest and stared out on the street.

'Maybe during the night I can sneak some food.' She thought looking at the small market across from the alleyway. She was tired, but she couldn't allow herself to sleep; she had to keep her guard up if she was out in the open. Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to rest her eyes without falling asleep. Something blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow over her. Her eyes snapped open immediately. A young man stood above her looking down on her.

"Hey, do you have a place to stay tonight?" He asked her.

"No." Yuushi responded and was surprised by how raspy her voice sounded.

"Come with me." He said giving her a small smile and extending his hand to her.

She eyed him cautiously before grasping his hand with her own. "Thank you."

"You can stay at my home. I'm sure my wife won't mind." He told her.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude." Yuushi asked.

"Where else would you go?" He asked watching her.

Yuushi was silent as she thought of the alleyway she was just sitting in a moment ago.

"That's what I thought." He said.

Yuushi followed him in silence. He turned a corner and she turned also feeling self-conscious as the villagers watched her.

"I'm Roshi, by the way." The young man told her. "What's your name?"

"Yuushi."

"Well, Yuushi, this is my home." Roshi said pointing to the small one story building to their right. "Come inside; I'll introduce you to my wife."

"This is very nice of you to take me in. Are you absolutely sure I'm not intruding?" Yuushi asked one final time.

"Yes, positive." He said opening the door and stepping aside to allow Yuushi passage.

"Roshi, is that you?" Yuushi heard a woman ask from somewhere in the house.

"Yes, it's me dear, and I've brought someone with me." Roshi called to his wife.

Yuushi looked around the entry room. It was small, painted yellow to brighten it, but comfortable. She heard the wife's footfalls as she entered the room.

"So you did." She said looking at her husband.

"Yuushi, this is my wife, Tsumi. Tsumi, this is Yuushi. She has no place to stay tonight. I couldn't let her freeze out on the street." He explained to his wife.

Tsumi smiled sweetly at her husband and then turned to Yuushi. "Well, you're welcome here for as long as you like."

"Oh, that's very gracious of you. Thank you so much." Yuushi thanked her bowing deeply.

"It's not a problem. I just finished making dinner, please, come eat with us." Tsumi offered.

Yuushi slipped her sandals off and followed Tsumi to the dining room and took a seat opposite her. The food in front of her looked delicious. Platters of cooked fish, noodles, steamed vegetables and steamed rice smelled wonderful.

"Please, help yourself." Roshi offered as he began serving himself.

"Thank you." Yuushi said as she picked a little of everything.

Dinner was quiet and awkward for Yuushi, but the delicious food made up for it. As the three sat contently at the small dinner table, the couple began asking her questions that she thought should have been asked before she had even stepped foot in the house.

"Yuushi, where are you from?" Tsumi asked.

"I was born and raised in Konoha." She answered.

"What is your family name?" Roshi asked.

"Sarutobi." She answered again.

"Why did you leave the village?" Tsumi asked.

"I…I was sent on a very long mission. I have been away from home for over three years now. I am headed back. I haven't heard word from any of my family." Yuushi said.

The couple was quiet. They watched Yuushi quietly, surveying her.

"So you don't know anything about recent events in Konoha?" Roshi finally asked.

"No." Yuushi paused. "Please, tell me. What happened?"

"Konoha was attacked a couple weeks ago by the Sand Village." Roshi answered.

"What? I never thought they'd disregard the treaty."

"Are you a ninja?" Tsumi asked.

"Yes, I am. I have been for thirteen years." Yuushi answered. "Do you have any more information about the attack?"

"Only that the Third Hokage was killed." Roshi answered. "They have yet to induct a new hokage, but word going around is that it's Lady Tsunade."

Yuushi felt her heart skip a beat. He body felt heavy, and she felt cold all of a sudden. Everything was spinning, her hands were shaking. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she exhaled heavily.

"Are you all right, Yuushi?" Tsumi asked.

Yuushi shook her head 'no.' She couldn't speak, she had forgotten how to and her throat was tight as she swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Tsumi asked. "The Third was a great man. He kept the peace for so long. He is missed greatly. Is that why you are so stricken?"

Yuushi nodded her head 'yes.' Her breathing was heavy as she tried to keep her composure.

"Were you close to him? I mean, you are a ninja after all." Tsumi asked.

"You have no idea." Yuushi whispered. "I had hoped I'd see his again. Just so I could prove him wrong. I was close to him once, but for so long he shut me out." She was speaking to herself.

The couple looked at each other, surprised by Yuushi's reaction.

"How close are we talking here?" Roshi asked.

Yuushi looked up for the first time in minutes. "He was my father." She answered finally, just as the first tear fell. She never thought she would cry for the man who she once called father. He had betrayed her, shut her out, exiled her, but no matter what he had done, or who he was, he would always be her father.

"Excuse me." Yuushi said standing from the table. "What is your bathroom?"

"Second door on the right." Tsumi said pointing down the hallway.

"Thank you." Yuushi whispered walking down the hall. She closed the bathroom door and sat down with her back against it. She began to cry; she hadn't cried so hard since the incident in Iwagakure. Her body shook violently with each sob that escaped her lips. She had already lost her mother, her eldest brother, and now her father. She didn't know how long she was sitting in the bathroom when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Yuushi-san, are you all right?" Tsumi asked.

Yuushi cleared her throat and spoke as strongly as she could, "Yes, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute."

"All right, well, I put some blankets on the couch for you." The woman said before walking away from the door.

Yuushi wiped her eyes with her hands and stood up from the floor. She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time; she had a black eye and a split lip, her hair was disheveled and greasy, her clothes were tattered, and she looked pale. She turned the faucet on the sink and dipped her hands in the water. She brought it up to her face in an attempt to cool her eyes. Her eye stung when she placed pressure on it, but the cool water felt good against her skin.

Yuushi unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. She went to the family room and saw the stack of blankets Tsumi had mentioned. She laid one blanket on the couch and lay down herself before pulling the second blanket over body. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Yuushi awoke to the sunlight shining through the family room window. She had slept without dreaming for the first time in a long time. She sat up and stretched her muscles and felt a few of her joints pop. She heard someone in the kitchen whispering to themselves.

Yuushi walked toward the kitchen quietly and stepped through the doorway. She saw Tsumi standing over the sink whispering quietly to herself.

"Tsumi-san, are you all right?" Yuushi asked.

Tsumi faltered and gasped when she heard Yuushi speak. She turned around quickly and looked at the woman with wide eyes.

"Yuushi, you scared me." Tsumi said. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"I just woke up and I heard you in here. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, no, you aren't intruding. I was just thinking."

"Oh, well, I was just going to leave when I got up. I wanted to thank you very much for allowing me to stay in your home for the night." Yuushi told her.

"It was no problem. Good luck on your journey home." Tsumi said goodbye.

Yuushi bowed and left the room; she slipped her sandals on before stepping out the door. She made her way toward the village gates and east toward Konoha. She didn't know what to expect, she didn't know how much damage had been dealt to the village. It would only take her a few hours to reach Konoha; she'd be there by mid-afternoon.

There it was, Konoha. Some of the village walls were cracked or crushed, but she couldn't see past that. She was worried about what the inner village looked like. She walked up the road to the gates and took a deep breath as she passed over the threshold. There were two chunin monitoring the gates today; they looked up as Yuushi stepped through the gates. She recognized them, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. They stared as they recognized her; yep everyone thought she was dead. Yuushi gave a small smile and walked over to them.

"Hello Izumo. Kotetsu." She greeted. They looked at each other and then looked back at Yuushi.

"Is it really you, Yuushi-chan?" Kotetsu asked.

She gave a small nod. "Yes, it's me. Tell me, what happened here? From what I've heard, Suna betrayed the treaty and attacked the village."

"Hmm…that's true, but Orochimaru was actually behind it." Izumo said. "You know that the Third Hokage was killed by Orochimaru, don't you?"

Yuushi's eyes widened. "I knew the Third was killed, but I didn't know it was by Orochimaru's hand."

The two men nodded. They paused to look at Yuushi again; they didn't quite believe it was her.

"You really aren't dead?" Kotetsu asked.

Yuushi stared at him with blank eyes. "I'm standing in front of you Kotetsu, how can I be dead?"

Izumo stared at his friend like he had just lost his mind. He shook his head and looked back at Yuushi.

"If you are back to stay, you'll need to go to the Hokage's office. Although she hasn't been inducted yet, Lady Tsunade has been named the Fifth Hokage." Izumo said to her. "Oh, and Yuushi, watch yourself. There's still a bit of damage covering the streets."

"Thanks guys. I'll see you later." Yuushi waved goodbye and made her way to the Hokage Tower; she was finally home.

Yuushi recognized so many faces as she walked through the village. And by the looks on some of their faces when they saw her, they recognized her, too. She wasn't sure how, what with all the cuts and bruises, she didn't quite look like herself. She could even tell who some of the kids belonged to, like the boy with spiky dark hair who was sitting with a long blonde-haired girl and a chubby brown-haired boy; that had to be Nara Shikaku's son.

The village was very clean for having been attacked by Orochimaru and the sand ninja just a few weeks ago. There were still a handful of buildings that were out of commission and there were still bits of rubble in the streets, but it still looked like home.

Yuushi passed by a small group of jonin who stared at her for a few moments before gathering together and whispering furiously; she didn't listen to what they said. All she wanted was to speak to Lady Tsunade and to go about living a normal life again…well, somewhat normal.

Finally, there it was, the Hokage Tower. Yuushi hastened her pace to climb up the stairs to the hokage's office. She was about to knock on the office door when the door opened on its own. She blinked for a moment, her fist still raised to knock, and then she heard a loud excited voice.

"Yuushi-chan!" the very tall man yelled as he hugged her.

"Hello, Gai." Yuushi managed to get out as her lungs were being constricted. "Would you mind putting me down, I can't breathe."

"Sorry." Gai said as he placed her on her feet. "Where have you been?"

Yuushi shook her head 'no' trying to communicate that they would talk later. Gai had always been perceptive at the best of times and understood the message.

"Yuushi, I've been waiting for you're return." Tsunade's voice came from behind Gai and his students.

Gai and his students filed out of the room; all three of his students looked at Yuushi curiously as they left. Yuushi stepped into the office and saw Lady Tsunade sitting behind the desk looking tired.

"You look absolutely awful." Tsunade told Yuushi as she looked over the girl's appearance.

Yuushi snorted. "Well, hello to you, too." She deadpanned.

Tsunade chuckled. "Jiraiya lost track of you for quite a long time. I won't pester you about it; Jiraiya told me the gist of what you were doing. But I will ask one question, are you still loyal to Konohagakure?"

"Yes." Yuushi spoke confidently.

"Good. Now, I want you to go to the hospital and get yourself checked out." Tsunade ordered as she began writing something on a small piece of paper. "Give this to the woman at the front desk and no one will ask questions. Once you get your results back, bring them to me. If I see that they check out, I'll reinstate you as an active Konoha shinobi."

"Yes, ma'am." Yuushi said taking the slip of paper. She left the office and went to the hospital as Tsunade suggested.

She stepped up to the front desk in the hospital. The woman sitting behind the desk looked up; her eyes widened when she saw the bruises and cuts that graced Yuushi's face.

"Here." Yuushi said thrusting the slip of paper into the woman's hands.

She read silently and then nodded when she finished.

The woman wrote a few notes on a clipboard and then paged a doctor, who appeared at the desk a few minutes later. The doctor stepped behind the desk and spoke with the woman sitting there. The doctor looked up for a moment and then looked back at the woman; she nodded and then stepped out from behind the desk.

"Yuushi-chan, come with me." The doctor said and Yuushi nodded and followed her.

She led her into an examination room and closed the door.

"So, this is a bit of a surprise. I could have sworn you were dead."

"Yeah, well, I never was; it was just a misconception." Yuushi said as she sat down on the examination table.

"I see, well, then let's get you fixed up." The doctor said.

Her chakra glowed green as she lightly dragged her hand across Yuushi's face. The cuts and bruises faded until there was no sign of them ever having been there. When Yuushi's face was cleared, the doctor told her to strip so she could check the rest of her body. As the doctor scanned Yuushi's body and healed any cuts or bruises she found, Yuushi was desperately hoping that she didn't question the solidified bite in her left side.

Yuushi felt the doctor's hands pause; she knew what she was going to ask.

"How did you get this scar?" The doctor whispered.

"I can't really speak about it, but I can tell you that Lady Tsunade healed me the best she could." Yuushi told her.

The doctor nodded and continued. Yuushi could tell she was still curious, but she didn't want to talk about that horrible time with anyone.

"Okay, I've healed all the cuts and bruises I found, and your broken rib. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" The doctor asked.

"No, that was everything. Thank you." Yuushi said standing up and beginning to dress.

The doctor handed Yuushi the slip that would give her permission to be placed on active duty again. Yuushi left the hospital and went back to the hokage office to see Tsunade.

Yuushi knocked on the door. She heard a few voices; Tsunade must have been briefing a team for a mission.

"Come in." Tsunade called.

Yuushi stepped over the threshold and looked up. There were four other people in the room; three students and a teacher. All four people turned around to see who was interrupting their meeting. That was when she realized she was looking into the face of someone she hadn't seen in years.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto yelled seeing the woman with torn clothing standing in the doorway. "I don't know if you noticed, but we're having a meeting here."

"Naruto! Keep your mouth shut. I gave permission for her to come in; I've been expecting her." Tsunade scolded.

"Loser." Sasuke said under his breath, loud enough for only Naruto to hear.

"What did you say, Sasuke?" Naruto growled.

"Stop it." Their teacher said without looking at them.

"But sensei…" Naruto whined.

"Hello, Kakashi." The woman answered in a soft tone.

"I didn't know you were back." Kakashi said staring at her.

"She arrived in the village this morning." Tsunade explained from behind her desk. "Kakashi, you and your team have your mission; you're free to leave."

"Yes, ma'am." Kakashi said before ushering his team out of the office.

As he passed Yuushi, he heard her whisper, "We'll talk later."

Kakashi lead his team to the street below trying to block out the sounds of Naruto and Sasuke fighting again. He sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Uh…Sensei?" The only girl on his team asked.

"What is it Sakura?" He asked looking at her.

"Who was that woman? You know her, don't you?" She asked.

"Yeah, Sensei, why did she come in during our meeting with Grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked, ignoring his fight with Sasuke for the moment.

"She looked really beat up." Sasuke mentioned.

"She's a friend; she's been gone a long time on a mission to another country. I didn't know she was coming back." Kakashi answered trying not to reveal anything about his relationship with Yuushi.

"Is she a Leaf Village ninja?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, she is."

"She looked really familiar." Sasuke said thinking.

"Out of all of you, Sasuke, you probably have met her before." Kakashi said looking at him.

Sasuke had an out-of-character quizzical look on his face. Kakashi chuckled when all three of his students were waiting for him to elaborate.

"I'll explain later; right now all of you need to get home and get packed for our mission. We'll be leaving at nine a.m. sharp." Kakashi ordered.

Just before all of them were out of sight, Kakashi called for Sasuke to wait a moment.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.

"I said you knew the woman in the office."

"You did, who is she?"

"When Itachi was genin she was on the same team as him. They used to always be together; you may not know her because you were so young when she was around." Kakashi explained to him. He saw the boy visibly tense when he mentioned Itachi.

"So, that's why she looked familiar." Sasuke said to himself. Sasuke started to walk away. "See you tomorrow, Kakashi."

Kakashi sighed and pulled out his little orange book out of his pouch and began to read while he walked back to his apartment. He couldn't focus, though. He began to think instead.

_Why did it take Yuushi so long to come home? Jiraiya was supposed to be with her. I really hope telling Sasuke about Yuushi's relationship with Itachi wasn't a bad idea. I'm going to have to ask Yuushi a lot of questions when we meet tonight; she's not going to like that._ Before he knew it, he was standing in front of his apartment building. Kakashi slipped the book back into his equipment pouch and climbed the stairs to his apartment. He unlocked the door and stepped in. He was surrounded by silence for the first time since four in the morning.

Kakashi walked away from the door, but stopped when he felt a chakra signature. He pulled a kunai out of his holster and stool still in the middle of the living room. He heard something fall in his bedroom and made his way silently toward the room. He opened the door and saw someone standing there with their back to him.

"It's just me, Kakashi." Yuushi said turning around to face him.

"Yuushi, why are you here?" He asked not lowering the kunai.

"I said, we'd talk later. So, I'm here to talk." Yuushi said walking toward him.

"Where have you been?" Kakashi asked suspicious.

"I was…in trouble." Yuushi answered in a strained voice.

"You didn't answer the question." Kakashi advanced toward Yuushi.

"I was with Itachi…" Yuushi said quietly. "And with the Akatsuki."

"Why? What did you tell them?"

"I was captured. They wanted information about Konoha that Itachi couldn't give them. I didn't say anything. I had nothing to do with the attack on the village." Yuushi was becoming angry.

"You didn't know about the attack?" Kakashi asked.

"No, I only found out a few days ago. I didn't know…" Her voice cut off. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking. "I didn't know my father was killed either."

Kakashi lowered the kunai and walked toward Yuushi. He pulled her into his arms and rubber her back. Her arms wrapped around him and squeezed.

"I missed you so much. The thought of you was what got me through everything." Yuushi cried into his chest.

"It's all right. It's all over now, and you're home." Kakashi said softly and kissed the top of her head through his mask.

Yuushi nodded and her breathing became more consistent as she called down. She pulled away from him and smiled.

"I missed you, too. Are you better now that you're home?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, I am. It's good to see familiar faces…even if those faces look at me as if they just saw a ghost." She sighed.

"Things will get better. Have you seen Asuma yet?"

"No, I went to see Lady Tsunade first and now you. He probably won't be too happy that I didn't go see him first." Yuushi leaned into Kakashi again and took a deep breath.

Kakashi pulled away from her and pulled his mask down. Yuushi reached her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. Kakashi leaned down and captured her lips with his own. One of his hands moved to the back of her head, while the other landed on her hip. It had been so long since he had felt this light-hearted. He felt her hands sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulders.

Yuushi pulled away to take a breath. She smiled and placed her head on his shoulder and breathed slowly and deeper than before. Kakashi wrapped his arms around her again and held her close.

"Please, don't ever leave me again. I wouldn't be able to handle it." Kakashi pleaded.

"I'll stay with you…forever. I hate being away from you, Kakashi." Yuushi whispered. She tried to pull away, but Kakashi held his iron grip around her waist. "Kakashi, I have to go see my brother. I don't want him to find out second hand that I'm back in the village."

Kakashi nodded and allowed her to pull away from him. As she walked away, he noticed that her clothes were different.

"You're wearing a jounin uniform?" Kakashi asked.

"Tsunade gave me new clothes. I don't know if you noticed, but my clothes from earlier were ruined." Yuushi chuckled. "I'll see you later, all right?"

Kakashi smiled, the mask still hanging around his neck. "Do you want to have dinner when I get back from my mission? I'll cook."

"That would be great." Yuushi smiled. She walked out the door to his apartment and he watched her go. His mask was in place again and he hoped that this was the last time he would watch her walk away from him again.

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry it's been so long of a wait for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review. I can't wait to write more over the summer, and I hope you all can't wait to read more over the summer.

Thanks,

Yuushi-chan


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kakashi stepped through the gates to Konoha. The sun had only started to sink behind the mountains in the distance. He looked to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura who looked exhausted. It had only been a B-ranked mission, but Kakashi sometimes forgot they didn't have as much stamina as he did.

"Go home and get some rest, guys. I've decided to give you three a day off tomorrow. We won't have training or a mission tomorrow. So make the most of the day." Kakashi said giving his trademark eyes smile.

"Wow, really, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked excited.

Kakashi nodded while still smiling. "I'll see you in two days at seven in the morning."

"Bye Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called running to his apartment.

Sakura ran in the same direction trying to catch up with Naruto. Sasuke walked in the opposite direction and put a hand up in farewell. Kakashi smiled softly beneath his mask and walked toward the Hokage Tower to turn in the mission report.

Kakashi knocked on the door and waited for Tsunade to tell him to enter.

"Enter." Tsunade's tired voice called.

Kakashi opened the door and stepped in. Tsunade looked up and eyed him for a moment. Kakashi held up the mission report.

Tsunade nodded, "How did it go, Kakashi?"

"It was fine. There weren't any problems, everything went according to plan." Kakashi told her.

"Good, you can just leave it on that pile." Tsunade pointed at the stack of folders on the corner of the desk.

Kakashi walked over and placed the mission report on top of the stack. Instead of walking away he stayed at the edge of the desk.

"Is there something else?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh…do you happen to know where Yuushi is?"

Tsunade smirked. "She's living in the same dorms as you…305 I believe. She asked me yesterday when you would return from your mission."

Kakashi felt his face grow hot and was grateful for the mask that hid his face. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said and left the office.

Kakashi slipped his hands into his pockets and walked toward his apartment. He climbed the stairs to his apartment. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his apartment. He sighed and stepped over the threshold. Kakashi walked to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for his date with Yuushi.

Standing under the jets of water, Kakashi felt his muscles relax. The steam rising from the hot water cleared his sinuses and made it easier to breathe. The sweat and mud that stuck to his body was swept away down the drain.

Once Kakashi was dressed, eh walked into his kitchen and looked in the cabinets and refrigerator.

"I forgot; after missions I never have fresh food." Kakashi said to himself. "I guess I have to go to the store."

He grabbed his keys off the counter and left his apartment. Kakashi walked through the calm streets of his beloved village and took a deep breath. He arrived at the grocery store and grabbed a basket before walking up and down the aisles. After ten minutes the basket was filled with fruits, vegetables, meats, rice, and packages of noodles. He checked out at the front of the store and carried the bags quickly back to his apartment. It was getting dark and he wanted to start cooking.

After putting away most of the food he bought, Kakashi pulled out a couple of pots and a pan from one of the cabinets. He filled one of the pots with water and put it on the burner to boil. Then, he pulled out a cutting board and began chopping vegetables. When the water boiled, he put the soba noodles in to cook. He used the other pot to start the rice. As he was getting ready to mix the miso paste into the water the noodles cooked in, he heard a knock at the door.

Kakashi walked to the door and opened it. Yuushi stood there in a purple tank top and dark jeans. Her hair was pulled back as usual.

"Can I come in Kakashi?" She asked smiling.

Kakashi stepped aside and Yuushi entered quietly. Kakashi closed the door again and walked to the kitchen.

"It smells good." Yuushi said watching him mix the miso paste into the water.

"Uh… thanks. It should be ready soon." Kakashi said continuing to cook.

He stirred the miso and then put the eggplant and other vegetables into the pot. He poured some oil in the pan and put it on the third burner. He had bought fish that was already cleaned and deboned to save time. He put it in the pan and heard the sizzle of the fish cooking. Kakashi turned around to look at Yuushi and saw her sitting at the table watching him.

"How was the mission?" She asked.

"It went fine. How are you adjusting to being back in the village?" He asked her in return.

"It's really annoying having everyone staring at me. And it doesn't help that most of the people in this village are steering clear of me." Yuushi said with a sigh.

"Hmm…they'll get over it." Kakashi told her. He turned back to the food and turned off the burner the rice was on; he also flipped the fish over.

"I know, but it's just unnerving having eyes on me at all times. And I know the Elders are keeping a watch on me; I always feel like someone's watching me." Yuushi said narrowing her eyes.

"If you think someone's out to get you, they probably are." Kakashi said quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, rules and such." Yuushi said waving her hand.

Kakashi chuckled and turned off all the burners. He took out four bowls and two small plates. He filled two of the bowls with the miso with eggplant and two bowls with white rice. He cut the fish in half and placed one piece each on the small plates.

Yuushi made to get up and help, but Kakashi held up his hand. "Don't, I'm treating you, remember." Yuushi sat back down again. Kakashi had to make a few trips to get everything on the table.

Yuushi smiled up at him. "It looks really good, Kakashi."

"Do you want something to drink? Water, soda, wine, sake?" Kakashi asked.

Yuushi blushed and Kakashi smirked under his mask. He walked back to the kitchen and opened a cabinet pulling a tall bottle from the front.

"Sake it is." Kakashi said bring the bottle and two cups back to the table.

Kakashi sat down at the table and poured them each a glass of sake. He pulled down his mask and saw Yuushi stare at his face for a moment before he looked at her. She lowered her eyes to the meal in front of her. She picked up her chopsticks and smiled again.

"Itadakimasu." Yuushi said to Kakashi before beginning to eat.

An hour after they started dinner, Kakashi and Yuushi were laughing and continuing to drink the sake. Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so much.

"I forgot about that!" Yuushi laughed after hearing Kakashi remind her of when they had gotten into a fight and Gai jumped in claiming he would prove his strength in a battle.

"It happened way too often back then." Kakashi said in a light tone.

"I still remember how much I didn't like you when I was a kid. You were always so serious and I never knew why. It took me too long to realize how harsh the battlefield was; I was naïve." Yuushi told him.

"I'm sorry that I caused you to hate me." Kakashi said.

"I never hated you, I just didn't like being around you. There were always insults spewing out of your mouth when you were around me, Gai, or Obito." Yuushi said looking into his eye.

Kakashi sighed. "There are many things I wish I had done differently."

"I know the feeling." Yuushi snorted. "I wish I had spent more time with my brothers, my mother, my…father." She whispered.

"There was nothing you could have done." Kakashi told her softly. "I could have prevented Obito's death if I had paid more attention and realized sooner that my father was not who the villagers said he was." Kakashi finished the glass of sake in his hand and poured another one.

Yuushi stood and walked around the small table to stand in front of Kakashi. She leaned down and kissed his lips softly. As she pulled back, Kakashi put the sake filled glass down and stood up. He took Yuushi in his arms and kissed her deeply. Kakashi pulled back and saw Yuushi's eyes were filled with all the emotion she hadn't let out since everything that had happened to her. Tears welled in her eyes as she crashed her lips against his.

Kakashi continued to kiss her deeply and push her toward his bedroom. He felt she was moving too slow and lifted her so her legs wrapped around his waist. Yuushi made a squealing noise when he did this and Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle.

He laid her on the bed and hovered over her. He looked into her eyes which held more emotion than he had seen there in a long time.

"I love you so much, Yuushi." Kakashi said huskily.

"I love you, too, Kakashi." One tear escaping her wet eyes.

Kakashi awoke to the warmth of the sun on his face. He opened his right eye and sat up feeling that his body was stiff and slightly cold. He looked down at the bed next to him and saw Yuushi still asleep, her hands holding onto his arm.

Kakashi leaned down and kissed her forehead. She stirred and taking a deep breath, opened her eyes.

"Hey." Yuushi whispered.

"Hey." Kakashi whispered back.

Yuushi smiled and pulled herself up so she could lay her head on Kakashi's chest. He wrapped his arm around her and stroked her arm.

"We left the food out last night. Now it's going to smell like fish." Yuushi said.

"That's all you can think about right now?" Kakashi asked.

Yuushi laughed, "I'm sorry, but you know how I am. Besides I'm feeling pretty dizzy right now."

"That's probably the sake." Kakashi answered.

"Oh, today's going to be so fun." Yuushi said sarcastically.

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, we should probably get up. I need to clean up the kitchen and you're probably going to be laying on the bathroom floor for the next few hours."

"Ha ha, very funny." Yuushi said glaring up at him. She sat up and moaned. "Okay, maybe you're right about the bathroom thing." She nearly fell out of the bed trying to get to the bathroom.

Kakashi shook his head and also stood up. He went over to his dresser and pulled out a new pair of boxers. It really wasn't helping his concentration that Yuushi was butt naked walking to the bathroom. He pulled on his jounin pants and his skin tight black sleeveless shirt. Walking out into the front of the apartment he realized Yuushi was right; everything had been left out and it did smell like fish. Kakashi could feel the sake he drank last night rising in his throat.

After he finished cleaning the kitchen and started the dish washer, he went to check on Yuushi who was currently throwing up in his toilet.

"Do you think you're going to be all right?" Kakashi asked pushing open the door.

Yuushi looked up at him, her face green and her eyes dazed. She nodded before turning her head quickly and throwing up again. Kakashi knelt down and pulled her hair back. He noticed again that she was still naked and he felt his face growing hot.

"Yuushi, would you mind putting some clothes on?" He asked.

"What? Am I too much for you to handle?" She asked turning smirking at him.

Kakashi shook his head and helped her stand up. She leaned on him as he lead her back into the bed room and gathered her clothes which were strewn all over the floor.

"We really did make a mess last night." She said putting on her clothes.

Kakashi left the room and went into the kitchen to get her a cold glass of water. He brought it to the bedroom and saw that she was laying on top of his bed again.

"Here," He said handing her the water, "you need the hydrate your body."

"Thank you." She said taking a long drink from it. "Sit with me. I want to talk some more. I've been away so long. I've missed so much."

"Okay." Kakashi said sitting down next to her and placing his legs on the bed as well. "Let's see…Asuma came home just after the village announced your death."

"I want to know about the others. You know, Gai, your students, the kids who are the newest ninja. I recognized a few as I came into the village, but I don't know their names. Many of them look so much like their parents." Yuushi said.

"Gai is his usual self. You know how he is. Nothing new there. My students remind me very much of my old genin team. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are learning fast. I'm worried about Naruto and Sasuke, though. Naruto always wants to do things on his own; he's been learning from Jiraiya."

"Hn, and I never though Jiraiya would take on another student after Minato-sama." Yuushi said.

"Yeah, well, Naruto's the exception. You know, though, don't you?" Kakashi asked.

"What, that Naruto is Minato-sama's son? Yes, I know that." Yuushi said.

"And then there's Sasuke. He's troubled, the last of the Uchiha clan. He reminds me of myself when I was his age. He wants to become more powerful and stronger. I've taken it upon myself to train him one-on-one."

"He reminds me of Itachi. They were always very similar. I remember when I first met Sasuke after Itachi and I were placed on a team together. Sasuke was only a toddler, but I knew their family for a long time, until the massacre." Yuushi gulped not wanting to think about the event that got her into so much trouble.

Kakashi continued to tell her about the rookie nine and Gai's team. Every once in a while, Yuushi would get up to empty her stomach, but would come right back and continue talking with Kakashi about everything she had missed over the past few years.

Kakashi continued to fill the gaps in Yuushi's knowledge and realized that he hadn't been this happy in years. He watched Yuushi as he told her stories about his students and wondered how they had ever gone from disagreeing children to lovers.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It had been a month since the night Kakashi and Yuushi had shared together. Kakashi was continuing to train Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. He was adamant about keeping an eye on Sasuke. He worried about Orochimaru coming to claim the young Uchiha.

Today, Kakashi was training the trio at the training grounds. Naruto was trying his best to show up Sasuke, as usual. Sasuke wasn't paying much attention to either Naruto or Sakura today. Kakashi had noticed Sakura was improving in all aspects of her training. He knew she trained hard to improve herself. Ever since the Chunin exams, Sakura was determined to not fall behind her teammates.

Kakashi was leaning against the base of a tree reading his _Icha Icha_ novel. He was monitoring his students' progress while reading the little orange book. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure approaching the training grounds. He lowered the book and placed his full attention on the woman coming toward them. He realized it was Yuushi. She was wearing her new uniform, something she had been designing for the past week.

She wore the regulation sandals in black, short black shorts, and a black sports bra with mesh attached to the bottom that touched the top of the shorts. She wore ANBU regulation gloves like Kakashi had her Leaf headband over neck. Kakashi realized his students had stopped training and had placed their full attention on Yuushi.

"Oi, Kakashi sensei! Why is she here?" Naruto asked with no tact.

"What? You don't know how to train with distractions?" Yuushi countered staring at Naruto.

The blonde haired boy turned red and crossed his arms.

"Naruto, my not have to best tact, but what are you doing here, Yuushi?" Kakashi asked standing up.

"I actually had a request." Yuushi answered standing in front of the squad.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked curious.

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me borrowing Sasuke for a little bit." Yuushi said.

Sasuke's head snapped to Yuushi at the request. Naruto looked angry that Yuushi hadn't asked to borrow him. Kakashi squinted his eyes a bit as he thought of his answer.

"I guess it's all right. Sasuke, what do you say?" Kakashi turned to the young Uchiha.

"Sure." He answered and approached Yuushi.

"Good." Yuushi smiled and turned to Sasuke. "Come with me. There are a few things I'd like to speak with you about."

Sasuke nodded and walked alongside Yuushi. Kakashi watched them walked off the training grounds and toward the center of the village.

"What the hell was that about?" Naruto asked looking after the pairing his fists clenched.

"It's a chance for Sasuke to get some answers." Kakashi told his student calmly.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"It's between Sasuke and Yuushi." Kakashi told them. "Now, get back to training."

"Yes Sensei." Sakura answered and went back to what she was doing.

Naruto muttered to himself about how much he wanted to beat Sasuke and went back to training. Kakashi sat down at the base of the tree again and opened the little orange book to where he left off.

-X-

At sundown Kakashi sent Naruto and Sakura home. Sasuke and Yuushi had never returned. Kakashi made his way to his apartment, his hands in his pockets and his head lowered.

"Kakashi!" He heard someone call.

His head lifted and turned in the direction he heard the voice. Yuushi was walking quickly to catch up to him. Sasuke was no longer with her, but he never expected him to be. Kakashi waited for Yuushi to catch up with him before he resumed walking.

"How'd it go?" Kakashi asked.

"Hmm…" Yuushi said thinking. "Sasuke is very troubled. More than I thought he'd be. He had more questions for me than I thought he would. I'm happy to say I could answer most of them."

"Where do we go from here?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"We keep a closer eye on him. He's going to leave soon." Yuushi told him. "He seeks power. And he seeks to destroy Itachi."

"It was only a matter of time." Kakashi sighed.

Yuushi walked silently beside Kakashi. He chanced a few peeks at her as they walked toward the apartments.

"What's on your mind, Yuushi?" He asked looking straight ahead.

Yuushi sighed and bowed her head. Kakashi turned his head to focus his attention on her.

"Just thinking." She answered not looking at Kakashi.

"About what?" Kakashi took his hand out of his pocket and reached for Yuushi's hand hanging at her side.

He watched her smile lightly when he grasped her hand.

"Thinking about the past." Yuushi answered.

"Good or bad memories?"

"A combination of both."

"I see. Where do I fall in the categories of good or bad?" Kakashi smirked.

"Well, when I was really young, still at the academy and when I was a genin, you definitely were categorized under the bad column. I hated being around you and even worse, having to take orders from you because you had higher status." Yuushi made a face and then chuckled to herself. "But just before I became a jonin and entered ANBU, I finally felt like I kind of understood why you are the way you are. I had respect for you and that's when some romantic feelings started to develop." Yuushi finished blushing.

They were now standing in front of Kakashi's door. He dropped her hand and moved his hand to her chin. He lifted her head and looked directly into her eyes. He noticed Yuushi became a deeper shade of red. Kakashi smirked at this and continued to look at her while he fished his keys out of his pocket.

Kakashi let go of her chin and opened the door to his apartment. Yuushi stared at him confused and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's it?" She asked.

"Not if you come inside." Kakashi told her quietly.

Yuushi smiled and entered his apartment. Once they were inside, they removed their shoes at the door and went to sit together on the couch.

"I never knew when you started to have feelings for me until you just told me." Kakashi said. "I guess I really was clueless."

"No, you were just very focused on your missions while you were in ANBU." Yuushi sighed and looked away from him.

"I had to be a good leader. The missions needed to be successful." Kakashi answered her statement.

"Why did you decide to become a jonin sensei?" Yuushi asked turning to look at him again.

"I wanted to teach the next generation. I think it's important that they excel and become more skilled ninja than the previous generation." Kakashi answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I just never knew you as the teaching type." Yuushi said shrugging.

"I see what you mean, but I never wanted to be attached to ANBU all my life. I enjoy being a shinobi, but I felt like I needed something more. The Third was surprised when I agreed to become a sensei." Kakashi shifted his eyes to look at Yuushi. "It just figures that I ended up with Naruto and Sasuke as two of my students. The Third was concerned about my emotional ties with my past, but I've never let my emotions get in the way of a mission, with the exception of one." Kakashi bowed his head.

"I know." Yuushi smiled and Kakashi felt her hand rubbing his back.

"That feels nice." Kakashi smiled at her.

He removed his mask and took off the jonin vest. Yuushi adjusted her position on the couch so she was closer to Kakashi.

Yuushi was sitting behind Kakashi on the couch while she massaged his shoulders and back. Kakashi took deep calming breaths as he felt the tension leave his muscles. After a few minutes Kakashi felt like he could just fall asleep with Yuushi's hands continuing to rub his back. His eyes shot open when he felt Yuushi slide behind him and push her body flush against his. He tried to turn around to look at her, but she wrapped her arms around his body. He was locked facing forward. He heard Yuushi chuckle against his neck.

"I like this." Yuushi said in a playful voice. "What do you think, Kakashi?"

He sighed, "Yuushi, what are you doing?"

Kakashi felt her grip loosen around his chest and he took the opportunity to break out of her grasp. He grabbed her arms and pulled her out from behind him. Kakashi pinned her on the couch under his body.

"You tricked me." Yuushi said some anger starting to flare up in her eyes.

"You really thought I didn't like having your body so close to mine?" Kakashi said huskily before beginning to kiss her neck.

"I guess I shouldn't question your feeling, huh?" She asked squirming under the weight of his body.

"No, you shouldn't." Kakashi removed his lips from her neck and lifted himself up on his forearms. "I love you, Yuushi. I would never hurt you."

Yuushi smiled and inclined her neck to touch her lips to his.

"I'm glad to hear that." She said softly. "Do you mind if I spend the night?"

"Not at all." Kakashi smirked before going back to kiss his lover.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Kakashi's team was falling apart before his eyes. Sasuke had run off with the Sound Four. A few genin led by Nara Shikamaru had gone after them. Naruto had been adamant about joining the team. Sakura was in distress over Sasuke's disappearance. And Kakashi felt that he had failed his students.

Kakashi sat in his dark apartment contemplating his broken squad. The moonlight shone through the open window. A beam of light showed the man's strained face, his brow furrowed and his lips pressed in a thin line. The dark circles under his eyes showed his inability to sleep for days.

Shikamaru's team had left three days ago. There was still no word from them. Kakashi expected the worst, but he tried not to think about it. What kind of man would he be if he couldn't keep a promise to his dead sensei?

Flashback

"_Kakashi, are you listening to me?" Yondaime-sama asked his student._

_The world was in chaos. So many bodies littered the ground; this was the work of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The horrible demon was just ahead of them. Kakashi could see those awful orange tails whipping through the tense night air. _

"_I'm sorry sensei." Kakashi answered giving his master his full attention._

"_I want you to promise me something." The man said crouching down to Kakashi's level._

"_What is it?" The boy asked. _

"_I need you to look out for my son, Naruto. He will be honored as a hero, so don't let the fame go to his head like I would." Minato chuckled._

"_But why can't you look after him?" Kakashi asked knowing full well why his sensei was requesting this. _

_Minato gave the boy a sad smile. He put his hand on Kakashi's head before opting to pull him into a tight hug._

"_Until I knew I was going to be a father," He paused. "I always felt that you were a son to me, Kakashi."_

_Kakashi's eyes widened upon hearing those words. Minato pulled away as the Kyuubi advanced toward them. Kakashi stood motionless as he watched his sensei perform the summoning jutsu. Gamabunta appeared staring down the demon fox._

_Kakashi used the Sharingan, although he was still getting used to it, to see what Yondaime was doing. The hand signs were quick, but Kakashi recognized them as the hand signs for the Reaper Death Seal. There was a flash of light and it was over. The Nine-Tails had vanished and Kakashi watched Minato-sensei's body falling, as if in slow motion._

There was a knock on the front door. Kakashi was pulled from his thoughts; he hadn't realized he had been shaking. He stood from the couch and opened the door. Yuushi stood there, a concerned look on her face.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Kakashi asked in alarm pulling the door open all the way.

Yuushi put her hand up, "There's no news. I came to check on you."

Kakashi's body relaxed a bit. Yuushi forced herself into his apartment. Kakashi closed the door and turned around to see Yuushi watching him intently.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Kakashi lied.

"I know you're worrying about Naruto." Yuushi stated.

Kakashi sighed and flicked on the kitchen light. He moved past Yuushi and opened a cabinet to get a glass. He poured himself a serving of sake. He downed the glass without a word and poured himself a new one.

"Kakashi, don't so this to yourself." Yuushi all but whispered.

"I don't know what I should do." He answered taking sips of the sake.

"If you're so worried, maybe you should go after them." Yuushi suggested.

Kakashi's head snapped up when he felt her warm hand wrap around his wrist. He hadn't noticed her being so close. She pressed his hand down forcing him to let go of the sake.

"C'mon, you need sleep." She said softly as she pulled him toward his bedroom.

Kakashi followed not putting up a fight. He was exhausted; Tsunade-sama had been sending him on one mission after the other. And on top of that, he was worrying about his students. He laid down on his bed and pulled the covers over himself. Yuushi sat next to him.

"Will you be able to sleep?" She asked.

"Probably not, but I need to try." He answered his eyelids already beginning to droop.

"Would you like for me to stay with you?" Yuushi asked.

Kakashi opened his eyes a bit and nodded. He felt the sheets move as she laid next to him. He wrapped his arms around her. Sleep claimed him for the first time in days.

-xxx-

Kakashi awoke in the morning still feeling exhausted. The sun was beginning to rise. He felt the warmth of Yuushi's body against his. Removing his arms from around her waist, he sat up and stretched trying not to wake her. He slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

He had a mission report to turn in to Tsunade-sama and she probably had a new A-rank mission for him.

While in the shower, he considered what Yuushi told him the night before. He considered going after the team that had been assigned to bring back Sasuke.

When he went back to his bedroom to get dressed, he saw that Yuushi had left. He knew she had a mission to get to. Within ten minutes, he was out the door, mission report in hand, and on his way to the hokage tower.

He knocked on the door and waited for Tsunade to allow him to enter. He stepped into the room and the woman looked up from the desk.

"Ah, Kakashi," She said. "Do you have that mission report?"

"Yes ma'am." Kakashi said still thinking over what he was going to do.

"I have a new mission for you." Tsunade said not noticing the look of determination in Kakashi's eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it's going to have to wait." Kakashi answered. He bowed before promptly leaving the office and sprinting to the village gates.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

When he was a few kilometers into the forest, Kakashi paused. He sliced his thumb with a kunai and made the hand seals for the summoning jutsu. All eight ninken appeared before him.

"I need you all to track Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi commanded.

"Yes sir!" They called and off they went.

Now all he could do was wait until they picked up a trail. He sniffed the air and smelled moisture. Kakashi's eyes narrowed; they needed to find the boys soon, before the rain covered their scents.

Within half an hour, Pakkun had reported back to him.

"Kakashi, we found them. They're at Valley of the End." Pakkun said.

"Let's go!" Kakashi ordered.

Along with the scents of Sasuke and Naruto, the dogs had told him of the other boys' conditions. It didn't look good for any of them. Neji and Chouji were unconscious and their vital signs were fading. Kakashi sent one of the dogs back to the village to get help for them. This mission was a failure even if they managed to bring Sasuke back. Things weren't looking good for Shikamaru. This was the sort of disaster mission that got shinobi demoted.

They ran west, Kakashi hoping against all hope that he could reach his students before the rain came down. He knew that Sasuke was desperate for power and he would do anything to obtain it—even if that meant eliminating anyone or anything in his way.

"Naruto." Kakashi whispered to himself. He picked up his pace.

"Kakashi, you're aware that there's possibility Sasuke might-"

"I'm trying not to think about it, but yes." Kakashi answered. "I just hope that I make it in time."

They were close. Kakashi was picking up the sounds out combat nearby. The first drop of rain fell from the sky. Kakashi felt as the tiny droplets sprayed his face.

"I'm beginning to lose their scents." Pakkun called.

"Let's speed up then," Kakashi said picking up his pace. "We need to find them before they kill each other."

"Right," Pakkun said as he ran ahead of his summoner still tracking the scents the best her could.

As they got closer Kakashi could hear the fighting. He heard the clash of metal, yells of aggression, and falling rock. They weren't holding back on each other. He imagined Naruto lost it when Sasuke let him know he didn't want to go back. Kakashi had no idea how powerful Sasuke was with the curse mark. Strikes of lightning flashed in the sky, from the weather or from Sasuke, Kakashi didn't know.

"Almost there," Kakashi muttered to himself. The sound of rushing water reached his ears.

There was a sudden sound of two powerful jutsu clashing together. The light from it was intense. And all at once, it stopped. There was no more fighting, not more light, no more sound of anything other than the river.

_No_, Kakashi thought. _Please let them be safe. Please let them not kill each other_. The rain was pouring down now making Kakashi's hair fall into his eyes.

They reached the Valley of the End. Kakashi looked around, trying to spot any sign of his students. He saw a bit of orange by the start of the forest and went running. He checked Naruto for a pulse and found one. He sighed in relief. He looked around for Sasuke; he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't sense his chakra anymore either. His hitai-ate was lying next to Naruto's head, a scratch through the leaf symbol. Not hesitating to get Naruto medical attention, Kakashi lifted the boy onto his back and stuffed Sasuke's hitai-ate into his pocket. They headed for Konoha. On the way, the rain stopped, and Naruto woke up.

A few other jounin arrived asking Kakashi is Naruto was all right. He told them he was a bit banged up, but not in critical condition. They allowed Kakashi to take Naruto to the hospital on his own.

"W-where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"He's gone," Kakashi answered.

He felt Naruto's defeat in the way he rested on his back.

"You're lucky to be alive," Kakashi told him. "That must have been one hell of a fight between the two of you."

Naruto nodded, "I couldn't convince him to come back, and I couldn't bring him back with force. I failed."

"You did the best you could," Kakashi muttered. They arrived at the hospital. Nurses and medical ninja took Naruto immediately and rushed him to a room to heal his injuries. Kakashi sighed. It was over. Naruto was home safe. He wasn't happy that Sasuke had defected, but he knew it was going to happen. His conversation with Sasuke had proved to do nothing for the boy's reasoning with leaving.

Kakashi wandered back to his apartment. He flicked on the light and saw Jiraiya sitting in his living room.

"Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked getting the man's attention.

"Kakashi," Jiraiya greeted. "I wanted to talk to you about Naruto."

Kakashi closed the door and joined the sannin on the couch. "What about him?"

"I'd like to train him," he answered. "He needs to work on his skills if he ever wants to bring Sasuke back." He looked at his hands.

"This isn't just about his skills, is it?" Kakashi asked.

"No, it's not," Jiraiya said looking concerned. "It's the Akatsuki. They're tracking down tailed beasts. They'll come looking for Naruto eventually. If I keep moving him around, they won't be able to track him. I can help him learn to defend himself better so that when they day comes the Akatsuki comes looking for him, he'll be ready."

"Why are you asking my permission?" Kakashi asked.

"I wanted to let you know before I run this by Naruto. I'll be taking him away for three years," Jiraiya answered.

"If you think he'll be better off with you and not staying in one place, then by all means, take him with you," Kakashi answered. "God knows I've already messed up once with these kids."

"Sasuke would have left no matter who his teacher was," Jiraiya looked at Kakashi. "The boy wants power, power he thinks Orochimaru can give him."

"Naruto's at the hospital now," Kakashi said. "He'll be there for at least a week recovering."

"I'll visit him in a few days," Jiraiya said standing and moving toward the door. He paused, his hand on the door knob. "You're not a failure, Kakashi." And he was gone.

Kakashi sat on the couch contemplating everything Jiraiya had said. He realized that if Naruto went with Jiraiya, he'd have no students to look after. Sasuke was gone and Sakura was beginning to train in medical ninjutsu with Tsunade-sama and Shizune. He'd be alone again.

_More time for training, I guess._ Kakashi thought to himself.


End file.
